Green Fire
by DocFaustus
Summary: it is six tears after Diana joined the Avengers. now, she gets to go to Asgard and witness Thor's crowning. events unfold, some for the worst. Sequel to 'Valkyrie'
1. Are you sure you want green?

**Wooooooo! I am so excited to be writing Green Fire! Yay and it even has a surprise person! See if you can guess who. Oh, and I will be pairing Diana with this mystery person. Jeez I think I just gave it away. Disclaimer! I own nothing but the idea and my OC. Nor do I own any of the songs mentioned in the story, but it is not a songfic.** **Here we go!**

oOo

_I walk this lonely road, the only one that I have ever known._

_Don't know where it goes, but its home to me and I walk alone._

I balled up a shirt and tossed it in my suitcase as I sang along to my favorite song. It hit the rim and bounced off. Sighing, I snatched it off the floor and shoved it into the side of the suitcase. As my favorite part of the song came on, I picked up my stereo remote and turned up the volume.

_My shadow is the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me,_

_Till then I walk alone!_

"You have a lovely voice." Someone said from behind me. I whirled around and glared at Clint, who was leaning on my doorframe. "Sorry, the ear shattering volume of Green Day blasting from the room underneath mine was too hard to resist." I turned down the volume and looked at Clint.

"Shouldn't you be packing?" I asked, and turned back to haphazardly jamming clothes and the few weapons that Natasha made me carry into my duffle bag and suitcase.

"I'm done. I bet you would be too if you actually packed with some care." I shrugged and closed the flap over my suitcase. There was about an inch of space between the two zippers.

"Hey Clint, come push down on this, really hard." I said. With a shrug, he walked over and placed both palms on the top. He started pushing and I tugged the zipper to the other end. With a mighty heave, I closed the two ends. "If only Thor were still here, he could've closed it without breaking a sweat." I said. Thor had left immediately after telling us his good news, but not without getting Darcy and Jane over first. Darcy and I were Facebook friends and we immediately hit it off.

I lugged the suitcase off of my bed and turned off my stereo. Clint picked up my duffel bag, since I was using both hands to pull my overstuffed suitcase. I lugged it into the common room and dropped it on the ground. The only people in there were Pepper, Darcy and Bruce. Pepper was holding the dresses all the girls had picked out, since there was going to be a ball after the coronation. Pepper's was a light red, almost pink dress with no back and one sleeve.

Natasha's was a dark maroon with a criss cross pattern on the back and a plunging V-neck. Darcy's was an extremely dark blue, almost black, dress with a slit up one leg and a straight skirt that reached her ankles. Jane's ball room dress was a soft creamy yellow and the sleeves went down to her elbows. And mine, the emerald green one. It had a slight but not unnoticeable V-neck that showed enough (but not provocatively) amount of cleavage and a tight bodice. It had no back like Pepper's but where her skirt was the same length; mine went to the floor in the back and to just below my knees in the front. I had a pair of soft leather knee high boots that went with them. I can still remember the day I got that dress. It has been imprinted in my mind.

oOo

"_What do you think of this dress?" I asked and stepped out of the dressing room. I thought it complemented me, and it matched my eyes. I twirled and the skirt flared out slightly. My long hair fanned out as I spun._

"_Are you sure you want green?" Jane asked. Her own dress was sitting on her lap. _

"_Why wouldn't I want green? It's my second favorite color. Besides, it complements me and I like it."_

_Pepper, who had been outside taking a business call, stepped back into the dressing room. "Okay, so Tony says…" she trailed off as she looked at me. "Are you sure you want green?" _

"_That's exactly what she said! And yes, I am sure I want green. Can we pay and go?" I asked exasperatedly. Pepper nodded._

"_Just take the dress off and we'll go pay." I walked back into dressing room and peeled the dress off. I was glad it fit. Even though I was amazingly skinny and fit, the dress almost didn't fit. I pulled my own clothes on and walked back out to join the rest of my friends. _

_Darcy and Natasha were back from where ever they had gone. As they saw the dress on my arm the asked together, "Are you sure you want green?" I growled and stalked back out of the dressing room. Pepper was waiting for me and she took the dress from my arm. Walking over to the checkout woman and started paying for our dresses. _

_Natasha, Darcy and Jane joined me outside and we watched s a woman started packing the dresses carefully into separate boxes. When Pepper walked back over she said, "5000 dollars for five dresses. It's a good thing that I have a Stark Card." we walked out of the little dress shop and into one of Tony's cars. As we drove home I asked, "What is the problem with green?"_

_Darcy laughed and replied, "I bet you'll find out soon enough. But seriously, don't worry about it. You looked smokin' in that dress." I smiled smugly. Green was totally my color. We pulled into the Stark tower driveway and all piled out. When we got up to the penthouse, we found all the guys (meaning Tony, Bruce, and Clint) laughing and drinking and Steve looking on awkwardly while sipping a beer. _

"_Hey, the girls are back from their trip!" Clint stated loudly. He was obviously a little bit tipsy. "Can we see what you bought?" he asked after taking a sip from his drink. Pepper gave us our respective dresses._

"_Go try them on and then come out." She said and we all went to our rooms. I squeezed myself into my dress and twirled around experimentally. Satisfied, I walked out of my room and met up with Natasha and Darcy who were already out. _

"_Where are Pepper and Jane?" I asked. Darcy looked up from her iPod and said, "Pepper was here a second ago but had a wardrobe malfunction, so she'll be back in a second." Just then, Jane and Pepper turned the corner and lighted up with happiness. We all looked lovely, and we knew it. We could hear the guys in the common room talking. _

"_Are you already?" Jane asked excitement evident in her voice. We nodded and all at the same time, turned into the common room. The conversation died of immediately, and the guys put their drinks down. There were exclamations of admiration and the woman being complimented lighted up. When the guys got to me, the only thing I heard was a softly uttered, "Are you sure you want green?" I didn't know who said it, but I threw my hands up and then dragged them down my face._

_Turning on my heel, I said "What the hell is wrong with fucking __**green**__?" I walked up the steps with my skirt lifted so the delicate silk wouldn't drag, and then out of the room. I stormed into my room and dropped to my bed. Groaning, I rolled over and buried my face in a pillow. I sat back up and threw the pillow behind me. Sliding off my bed, I started pacing across my room. Not only had I only got one nice compliment in my dress, I wouldn't even get to dance in it. If I looked so horrible in green, no one would want to dance with me. And I didn't even know how to dance. _

_I dragged a hand through my hair and then ran it down my face. "Sorry about Clint and the dress, you look lovely in it." Steve's voice registered from behind me. I turned around to see him leaning on my doorframe. "Why are you so upset?" he asked and started walking towards me._

"_Why do you think?" I snapped. "I have gotten exactly __**two**_ _compliments on my dress, and if I look horrible in it, I don't get to dance at my friend's wedding. But if I do get to dance, I'll look stupid because I don't even know how to dance!" I crossed my arms and stared at him, waiting for an acceptable explanation for my dilemma. He walked over to my stereo and clicked the 'On' button. _

_Then he walked back over to me and said, "I can teach you how to dance. Just stand on my feet and I'll show you. Of course you can't stand on your partner's feet, but I'm just showing you. OK?" I nodded and placed my bare feet on the tips of his leather boots. He started moving his feet around, and my feet moved with him. I laughed as he picked me up and swung me around. When the music stopped playing, he set me on the ground. "Do you get it now?" he asked. I nodded. _

_When he stated leaving, I caught his sleeve and pulled him back. "Thanks Steve." I said. Then I kissed his cheek and closed the door._

oOo

I sighed and flopped down on the couch. I pulled my cell phone (bought from Fury) and started texting Sam.

_Hey baby. ;) _I sent. I never got a reply. Sighing, I bounced the phone on my palm as I waited for the others. I don't know how long I was sitting on the couch waiting for the others, but I know Tony took the longest. When Tony finally got into the room, I stood up and brushed the front of my hoodie off.

"Frosty, are you sure you don't want anything warmer?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous nickname. I was wearing my knee high boots and skinny jeans. Underneath my hoodie was a blue tank top. "I mean, who knows what temperature it will be in Asguard."

"I'll be fine. Besides, were staying in New Mexico for one night before Thor comes to pick us up. And it's the summer, so yeah. I'll be fine." Tony shrugged and we all made our way out to the cars that were supposed to take us to the Bifrost sight. I leaned my head on the window and watched the city rush past. I plugged my headphones into my iPod and listened to my favorite Green Day album. Eventually, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

oOo

"Diana." Someone said, and shook my shoulder. I opened my heavy eyes and looked at the blob that was waking me up. "Hey, were in New Mexico. You have to wake up." I shook the person off and pulled my legs out of the car. Blinking to clear away the blurriness in my eyes, I yawned. Looking at the person who woke me up, I saw Bruce. It was pitch black outside and the bright lights behind him made it seem darker.

"Oh hey. Do we have a hotel room? I think I want to just go back to sleep."

Bruce shook his head. "We were going to get dinner and then check into our hotel." I pouted, but stood up and stretched. "The others are inside." I looked around at the bright neon lights in front of me.

"Wendy's?" I asked. Bruce shrugged so I followed him inside. The team was waiting for us just inside the door.

"Hello sleeping Beauty!" Clint welcomed me. I glared at him and yawned again. We walked up to the counter to order. When the slightly overweight woman on the other side recognized us, she flipped out.

"Oh my god! You're the Avengers! Oh my gosh, can I get your autographs? You are all like, my most favorite people on Earth! Do you have-!" I cut her off when I slapped the flat of my palm on the red plastic counter.

"Woman, I have to live with these people, and that means I don't get much sleep. Tomorrow, I have to travel to an entirely different realm for my friend's wedding. I don't think I will be getting much sleep at all for the next few days, so I really want to get as much as I can _right now_." I paused and looked her in the eyes. "Will you stop shrieking like the overweight banshee that you are, and just take our damn order?" she drew back and looked at me.

Mumbling an apology, she quietly took our order and we went to sit down. I buried my head in my arms and flipped my hood up. I was enjoying my nice dark little world when I was being shaken awake again. I stood up and followed Natasha, who was walking in front of me, and being led by my shoulders from behind at the same time. The air outside was cold and it bit at my cheeks. I smacked my lips and yawned, fully awake now. I bent down and touched my toes, hearing my back crack, and then I stood up and got in the car after Clint. I watched the countryside flash past and I plugged my headphones back in. Cage the Elephant started plying and I nodded slowly along to the beat.

It was about an hour after we left Wendy's when we pulled into a small hotel. It wasn't a bad one, but it was tiny. The car pulled to a stop and we all piled out and went to the trunk to get our stuff. I grabbed my duffel bag and swung it over my shoulder. Pulling out my suitcase, I popped open the handle and waited for the others to finish. I was listening to Back against the wall and I started humming along to the lyrics.

_Like a sitting duck just waiting for the fall… _

The man singing said. I walked a little behind the others as we went into the hotel lobby. I stood behind Tony as he paid for our rooms, and then followed everyone as we ascended the stairs. Tony gave me my key card and I opened my door. I didn't bother changing out of my clothes, I just pushed my door closed and collapsed on my bed, descending into a peaceful sleep.

oOo

Whoa! I don't even know. I hoped u liked that chappy! I want u all to review cause it makes me happy! Please, srsly. Kk, goodbye for now!


	2. Asgard

**Hey what is up! I am happy to tell you that I persuaded my cousin to get a FF account! My life-long goal is complete. I'm hoping to make each chapter as long as the last one and I hope this one is as great as the last one! I know I am a horrible, horrible person for not updating in ages, but you guys weren't reviewing! I wasn't motivated. But hey, I got a review from a very awesome Hope06. You rule! DISCLAIMER! I own nothing but the idea and my OC. Good day, and know to review! **

**oOo**

"Do you think they'll be good without me?" I asked as I sat in the dust around the Bifrost site. Bruce looked down at me from where he was sitting on the hood of the car.

"Yeah. They have other power sources, remember?"

A few months ago, Bruce and I had established that I was an unlimited power source. Or, at least, had so much energy that I could power a large SHEILD base for a few days in one transfer and still have plenty of energy. Every two weeks, I would get up early and Tony would fly me to the base. Then I would be led down into the generator room. I would find the transfer spot, which was a raised metal platform with two large metal cylinders on either side. I would place my hands on the cylinders and then just funnel electricity into the generator. The energy I transferred would last for about a week, and then I would have to go back and refuel.

I sighed and flicked a bit of lint off my jeans. We had been waiting at the Bifrost site for hours, and it was hot and very boring. I had already tried texting Sam, and he wasn't answering me. I leaned against the side of the hot car. I squeezed my eyes shut as the sun decided to shine directly into my eyes, and I thought that no matter what I did, I would be uncomfortable. I grunted and shifted against the surface of the warm metal. Bruce glanced down at me from his position at the top of the car. "Quit fidgeting. You're rocking the car and making it hard to concentrate." I sighed again and leaned away from the car. I knew he wasn't trying to be mean, but he had been stuck on a very difficult scientific-y issue, and nobody was really any help.

I looked out across the desert and glared at the way the sun was glinting off the sand. It made the sand in the distance look like a vast sheet of glass had been laid out on the ground. The glimmering sand gave me an idea. I extended my hand and narrowed my eyes. A tiny bolt of lightning shot out from my palm and melted the sand, turning it into a blob of glass. I smiled triumphantly. The blob was still hot, so I send a small ray of ice in its direction. The ice hissed as it made contact with the hot glass, but it was cool enough for me to pick up. I bounced it in my palm, then stood up and with a flick of my wrist, lobbed it into the distance. I saw a small puff of dust a ways away, and decided I could do better. So I spent my time making little glass blobs and flinging them out into the desert.

"When do you think the others will be back?" I asked Bruce. The rest of them had ditched me, Bruce and Clint to watch over their luggage, and then went to get the rest. They had been gone for what seemed like hours but I knew it had probably only been about thirty minutes.

"Dunno." Bruce answered despondently. I sighed. I wanted to bang my head on the side of the car, or flick Bruce in the forehead, do anything to get some excitement. Anything to alleviate the boredom. I hung my head and hunched my shoulders. Clint was asleep in the car, and he had told me not to bother him, on pain of death. Did I believe him? Of course, but that didn't mean I couldn't have fun. I stood up and pushed myself away from the car. Walking out to the desert, I stopped to admire a cactus. Running a finger along one of the slender needles, I stopped at the base and gave it a sharp twist. The needle came free; the only thing connecting it was a small strip of green plant matter. I ripped it off and walked back to the car.

Just because I believed Clint would make good on his threat to kill me didn't mean I couldn't have fun with him. Walking around to the passenger's side where Clint was, I leaned through the window. All of them had been rolled down so he wouldn't overheat. At the moment, Clint was slumped in his seat with his head leaning back, exposing his throat. For an assassin, he sure left himself vulnerable. His right arm was resting out of the window, providing the perfect prank opportunity. Breaking the sharp tip off the cactus needle, I gently ran it up and down his arm. He twitched, but I continued what I was doing. Then his eyes snapped open and he shrieked "Spider! There's a spider on me!" I laughed at his expression and he turned to look at me. "What did I say was going to happen if you messed with me?" he growled. He was trying to sound threatening, and it would have worked, if not for the spark of playfulness in his eyes and the grin tugging at his lips.

He lunged at me through the open window and I dodged it easily. Lessons with Natasha really pay off in the end. "C'mon Clint, you can do better that!" I teased. He opened the door and ran at me. I turned tail and yelped when he picked me up by my waist. I kicked my legs in the air as he swung me around.

"You're gonna get it!" he growled playfully. I grabbed his arms and froze them. His sleeves crackled with ice, and he dropped me on the ground. "Not fair!" he whined. "I don't have cool super powers." I stood up and brushed myself off and patted his arm.

"But I bet you're the only guy who can shoot a Chitauri on its chariot in the head without looking. Also, you're the boss at Monopoly." He smiled at me.

"Sorry for dropping you." He said. I waved it off and punched his arm softly. I rubbed at my ear, scowling, as a low whine filled my ear. The whine had been in the back of my hearing for the past few minutes, and it was steadily increasing in volume. Clint had started rubbing at his ear as well. "What is that?" he groused. We both jumped as a streak of red, gold and silver flashed above us, only feet above our heads. We flinched and ducked our heads. Dust swirled around our feet, kicked up from Tony's passing. He landed a few yards away, and the annoying whine cut off abruptly. It had been Tony's suit making noise. I looked away from Tony as a second van pulled up beside ours. Gravel and sand crunched as Natasha, Pepper, Darcy, Jane and Steve parked the car and climbed out.

I hurried over to Natasha and stopped just in front of her. "Do you know when Thor is supposed to be here?" I asked. She pulled her sunglasses off and checked the sky.

"Around four. But don't worry; we'll be there in no time." She walked off to go find Clint, who had gone back into his van. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. It was three forty six. My battery was also running low, so I turned my phone off. I was about to go get my things from the van when an ominous crackling sound filled the air and the sky grew dark. A loud rumble rolled across the sky and a white beam of light bolted out of the clouds and touched the ground with a loud boom. A wave of dust and debris rolled towards me and the team. I shaded my eyes from the light and stepped back, but my eyes were shining and I was smiling. I knew Thor was back. When the dust settled, I turned to look at my friend. Thor was standing a few yards in front of me, grinning like a fool and holding his hammer at his side.

There was an ecstatic squeal to my left, and Jane rushed her fiancé. She tackled him in a hug and he wrapped his arms around her waist. After a moment, he released her and kissed her tenderly. Then, he held his arms out to the rest of us and bellowed, "Friends! It has been far too long. I hope I did not keep you waiting." We all crowded around him, even Bruce who had left his spot on top of the car. There were smiles and cheers and congratulations, until Thor raised a hand calmly. "Friends, I must explain the situation." We paused, hoping nothing bad had happened. "The coronation for my kingship will be the first thing to celebrate. When we first get there, you will be escorted to your chambers. Then, the next day, will be the announcements, which is like your pre parties.

"The day after that will be my coronation, which will most likely last the whole day." He stopped and ran a hand down his face and rubbed his eyes. "Then, there will be something similar to your 'After Parties'. Those will be the first three days. In-between my coronation and my wedding will be a competition of sorts. Like your Midgardian Olympic Games. Our best champions and warriors will compete with one another in friendly combat. One of the games will be archery, and I thought friend Clint would like to compete." Thor looked to him and Clint nodded eagerly.

"Good. The next three days will be similar, a pre party, the wedding and then the after party. Then I assume you would depart back here. I must remain on Asguard for a while after the wedding, but I will return to you as soon as possible. This is all alright with you?"

We nodded, and there was more cheering. Then we went to gather our luggage, and again crowded around Thor. Smiling, he looped an arm around Jane's waist. "I suggest you get as close to me as possible. I wouldn't want half of you to go to Asguard and half of you to stay here." We clustered tightly around him and he raised his hammer to the sky and shouted, "Heimdall open the gate!"

A warm feeling encased me like I had a warm blanket wrapped around me. Then, I got the feeling that I was being sucked through a vacuum and all my bones were being squished together to fit. The feeling was decidedly unpleasant. And then it was over, quickly as it had started. I groaned and clutched my stomach. Then I suddenly forgot about my discomfort as I gazed upon the scene in front of me. Asguard was truly magnificent; a golden palace surrounded by clouds. The clouds were tinted with pink, red, gold and all the colors of a sunrise. The bridge that stretched out from where I was to the palace was glimmering in all the colors of the rainbow, and had a crystalline look to it. Past that, I could see nothing but empty space.

I could hear the other's gasps of wonder and amazement. When we got over our amazement, Thor started striding down the Rainbow Bridge. We followed close behind, staying well away from the edge. "Be sure to stay close to me. The last time someone fell off the Bifrost, it did not end well." Thor said.

When we reached the golden gates, the guards standing there bowed respectively and opened the gates. Thor lead us around the grounds for a while, and then up a flight of stairs. It was tough work dragging my overstuffed suitcase and duffel bag up the stairs. A row of servants waited at the top. "They will show you to your rooms and help you find anything you might need while you are here. Just ask, and they will show you." He left us then, taking Jane by the hand, and led her down a separate flight of stairs.

One of the servants, a slight woman with mousy blonde hair and brown eyes took me by the arm and pulled me away. I could see the same treatment happening to the others. As she pulled my through golden hallways, draped with magnificent tapestries and lit by torches, I could only stumble after her, caught in admiring my surroundings. We stopped before a tall golden door with a coiled dragon carved on the front.

"Your rooms. I hope you find them satisfactory." The woman said with a slight accent. She pushed the door open for me, and then turned away. I stood in the doorway and gaped at the room before me. A huge floor-to-ceiling window filled the right side of the room, along with a balcony overlooking the Royal Gardens. A large circular bed filled the center of the room, made entirely of gold. The sheets were a rich shade of blue, and a rug of the same hue filled most of the room. A dresser sat on one side of my bed, and an end table on the other. A long flat bench sat at the foot of my bed. The whole room was lit with golden sconces on the walls, and a fireplace in the corner.

Gold bookshelves filled half of the left side, and a door leading to who knows where filled the other half. I walked into my room and gently kicked the door closed behind me. There was a large tapestry above my bed depicting a fight between a large serpent and an axe wielding man in silver armor and a blue cape. I set my suitcase on my bed and unzipped it. I put my clothes away in the dresser and set my dress out flat on the bench. I pulled my boots off and cracked my toes. Flopping back on the bed, I stared up at the vaulted ceiling. Tomorrow would be the pre party, and I knew I had to start getting ready.

I was dog tired however, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But I had things I needed to do, and I would be sorry if I didn't get them done now. I forced myself to get up and then I stripped down to my tank top and my underwear. Then I took out a pair of silk shorts and pulled those on, along with my bathrobe. I put my hair up in a messy ponytail, and then hauled my duffel bag up onto my bed. Unzipping it, I took out a red velvet lined box. Inside, a milky white opal rested on a pad of soft velvet. I stroked the gold chain, then closed the box and set it on top of my dress.

I had two bracelets and a pair of earrings made from the same opal, and I set those aside too. They had been gifts from Thor, given to me just before he left. I set my suitcase on the floor and kicked it under the bed. Rummaging through my bag, I found my iPod and its portable speaker and set them on my end table. The best part about the speaker was that it was battery powered so I didn't have to plug it in. I turned on my iPod and chose the 'Slow' playlist. Most of the songs I had were fast paced and exciting, but these were calming. I sighed appreciatively as 'You Ruined Everything' started playing, and I set to work. I had unpacked most of my stuff, but I still needed to get my makeup out, and a few other things.

I just started getting my suitcase back out when there was a knock on my door. I walked over and opened it, surprised to see Steve standing there. "Um, hi Steve. What do you need?" I asked awkwardly. I was aware of the fact that I was hardly wearing anything. He rubbed the back of his neck in that cute little Steve way that made want to cuddle him like a teddy bear.

"Well, actually, I don't need anything. But Tony told me to come get you, and since he's busy, he asked me to do it. He says Thor told him to tell you something. It's complicated."

"Okay, give me a moment." I turned away and started putting my things away. When I was done, I left the room and shut the door quietly behind me. Steve turned and walked down one of the many halls. I followed, tightening the tie around my bathrobe. Soon, we reached another large door with a coiled dragon carved into the center. "Where is your room?" I asked Steve.

He pointed down the hall. "Down there a little bit. They put us pretty close together." Then he patted me on the back and left me. I turned to the door and knocked softly.

"Hello?" a voice echoed softly from the other side door.

"It's Diana." I called. The door opened and Tony appeared. "Steve said you wanted me." I said. Tony nodded and motioned for me to come in. His room was almost identical to mine, but he didn't have a balcony.

"Ok, so Thor told me that he wanted you to wait in your room until someone comes to get you. He's supposed to introduce us all one at a time. Also, he wanted you to meet somebody, but I don't know who." As he spoke, he walked around his room, putting things he had in his arms away.

"I think I know who he wants me to meet, but I've never gotten a straight answer." I said, sitting on the edge of his bed. Tony walked over to his end table and picked up a glass of water. He glanced at me over his shoulder.

"Who do you think that would be?"

"When I first came here he told me he wanted me to meet his brother. I don't know who that is though." I said. Tony choked on the water he was drinking.

"Seriously?" he spluttered. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"No, why? Is it really such a big deal?" I asked confused. Tony raked a hand through his hair muttered something under his breath that sounded like, "Threw me out a damn widow."

"Look, just keep your distance from him, ok? That guy is dangerous. If Thor wants you to meet him, well I don't know what he's thinking. Do as Thor wishes; meet the guy, but don't get to know him any better than you have to, okay?"

I nodded and stood up. "Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. But why won't anybody tell me who he is?" Tony just shook his head.

"It's complicated. I'm sure you could get someone to tell you, if you really pushed them. But please don't try." He shot me a pleading look.

"Okay, don't worry. Hey, thanks for the tip about waiting in my room." I said, and Tony nodded. Then he waved me out and I smiled as he turned back to his work. I opened the door and slipped out. Steve had returned sometime while I was talking with Tony and he showed me to my room. "Thanks Steve. See you tomorrow." I said as I opened my door. I was left standing in the middle of my room sticking out my lip. I had my hands clasped behind my back and my head bowed. My 'Thinking pose' as Clint called it.

Deciding my dilemma was one for another day when it wasn't late at night, I closed my door. I put the fire in the fireplace out and noticed that the sconces had already been put out, so my room was entirely dark. The only light was the moonlight streaming through the balcony. I went to my bed and slipped under the blankets. As soon as my head hit the pillows, I was sleeping peacefully.

000

Sooooooo…. My internet's been down for ages. Another reason why I didn't put a chapter up sooner. But really, I'm trying my hardest. Sorry if I didn't get the description of Asguard right. Oh, and the song You Ruined Everything is by Jonathan Coulten. Amazing artist; that song is one of my favorites. As always, R and R.


	3. Announcements

I made an interesting discovery yesterday. If you crack open a brown Crayola marker and take that foam cylinder out, all the brown ink will come out all over your hands when you squeeze it. And if you try to wash it off, it turns greyish and makes your skin look decaying and gross. I experimented with grey and yellow, but it didn't have the same effect. Oh well. NE ways, DISCLAIMER! I own nothing except my OC Diana.

000

I threw off the covers and bolted out as soon as I heard the first knock on my door. Worried that I had overslept, I threw the door open, preparing to apologize for sleeping in. instead of Thor, I saw a flustered Tony standing with his hand drawn back as if to knock again. He was wearing his normal Black Sabbath shirt and jeans.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were still asleep," Tony said putting his hand down. I ran a hand through my hair.

"I thought I had overslept. Why are you here?" I asked.

"Change of plans. Thor to get dressed and wait in in our rooms until someone comes to get us. Then, we'll be brought to the throne room. We're going to be standing in the front rows, closest to the throne. After the announcement of his future kingship, we'll go to the ballroom where there is going to be some big party and a feast." He paused and took a breath. "There's supposed to be an open bar too." He added as an afterthought.

"Why aren't you dressed?" I asked Tony. He grinned sheepishly.

"Bruce had to borrow my only suit because he didn't have one. I was on my way to Clint to borrow a tux when I met up with Point Break and he told me to tell you what I just did."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll go get ready. Thanks for the message." I closed the door and whirled around. I had absolutely no idea how much time I had before I had to leave. I stripped hurriedly, and squeezed into my dress. I quickly did my makeup and brushed my hair until it curled softly at the ends. I looped the opal necklace around my neck and put the bracelets on. I held the earrings in my hand; I would have someone help my put them on later. I stared at the soft knee high boots and frowned. They wouldn't look good with my dress. This was a classy party, and these were the boots I had worn when I first broke into SHIELD.

With a sigh, I left my room and headed to Tony and Pepper's. She hadn't been there when I had been, but I bet she'd be there now. I knocked on the large golden door and waited. When Pepper opened the door, she was putting in an earring and she had her dress on. "Oh hey Diana. What can I help you with?" she smiled at me.

"Hey Pepper. Do you have a pair of heels I could borrow? I look really weird in boots with this dress."

She laughed and opened the door wider. "Come on in. I think I have a pair that would look great. If not, you could always one of the other girls." I stepped inside and looked around the room. It had been Tonified. There was a table in the corner with an assortment of alcohol. The sheets had been changed from blue to red and gold. He had another table set up on the other side of the room where one of his holographic mats had been laid out and a hologram of Tony's suit floated in midair.

"Love what you've done with the place." I said. Pepper laughed as she rummaged through one of her bags. Bringing out a pair of green satin heels, she set them on the edge of the bed and gestured to them.

"Here. I don't know if they'll look any better, but that's the best I have." She said, and I walked closer. They were the same color as the wide darker green belt around my middle. They had a covered toe and a tall heel.

"They're perfect! Pepper, I love these shoes." I said as I picked one up. She gestured at me.

"By all means, take them. I had a feeling that your boots would look funny with the dress, so I brought these. They don't fit me, so you can have them." I grinned and sat on the edge of the bed to slip them on. They fit perfectly. Standing up, I walked to one side of the room to the next. "Do they feel good?" Pepper asked.

"Perfect. Thanks so much Pepper, you're a life saver." She waved the compliment off.

"It's fine. I love to help."

"Do you have a mirror I could borrow?" I asked, and she handed me a small mirror made to fit in a purse. I used the mirror to put my earrings in and handed it back. "Thanks again. But I have to get going. See you in a while." As I walked back to my room, I saw a flash of movement to my left, going down one of the intersecting halls to my left. It caught my eye and I turned to look. I saw a flash of green and black, and then nothing.

Shrugging, I continued my way to my room. On my way, I saw Thor heading down one of the halls. Excitedly, I called his name and waved my arm. "Diana, it's good to see you. Why are you out of your rooms?" he said.

"I was visiting Pepper. I needed new shoes. Thor I'm so happy for you! When are the Announcement going to start?" I grabbed his arm and looked up at him, eyes shining.

"Soon. You should get back to your room; I do not want you to be out of your room when the servant comes to get you."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you later." I said and he smiled down at me. I let go of his arm and he left. Frowning, I continued my way to my room. I sat on my bed and listened to Green Day while I nervously ran my fingers through my hair. When a knock finally came at my door, I bolted over and flung it open. The man at my door jumped back and swore. He looked at me with wide eyes.

"You scared me." He said breathlessly. I smiled at him.

"Sorry. Are you here to take me to the throne room?" I asked him, and he nodded. He held out his hand and I took it. Leading me down multiple corridors, we finally arrived at a large solid gold door, twice the size of the largest door I had ever seen and covered in different gemstones. There was a pair of guards standing stiff backed against the door, and they turned and pushed it open as we neared the door. My guide stopped just outside the door and pushed me through.

"Go. Enter the room like you belong there. Best of luck." He said, then turned and hurried off. Hesitantly, I stepped through the doors, conscious of the people watching. I quickly spotted Tony and the others and started walking towards them. I held my head level, eyes never leaving my friends. I made my way to my team and stood next to Tony and Pepper. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding until I was out of the spotlight. It was quite obvious why all the attention was focused elsewhere. Odin had entered the room.

He looked extremely impressive with his gold and silver armor and his heavy helm. A red cloak swirled behind him and a gold staff in his left hand was held proud and steady. Thor followed close behind, Mjolnir at his side. Odin ascended the steps that lead up to his throne, then turned and faced the crowd, but did not sit down. Thor stayed at the bottom step, looking up at his father.

"Today is an important day, as is tomorrow and the next. For thousands of years I have ruled of Asguard and the Nine Realms. The time has come for someone new to take the throne; someone more able to lead armies into battle. More able to celebrate the warm summers, and the good times. It is time for my eldest son to take the throne." There was a fervent murmur that swept through the crowd, but no one spoke loud enough to be heard.

Odin held u a hand for silence. "Once there was another time where my son was to take the throne, but he was reckless and arrogant. He has learned a lesson of humility and compassion. I do not believe there will be a more fit ruler. It is time for Thor to ascend to the throne." And then Odin stepped down the stairs until he was standing on the last step, next to his son. "Do you accept your future king?" Odin said loudly. There was silence for a moment, and then a massive cheer broke out. There was whistling and clapping and cheering. The team smiled and clapped and I'm sure there was some shouting of, "You rock Thor!" and "You're gonna be an awesome king Point Break!"

When the cheering died down, Odin turned to Thor. "And do you accept your future kingdom and its people?" he asked softly.

"I do," Thor replied firmly. There was another round of loud cheering and then Odin shouted, "Then let us celebrate!"

000

The party was, and I am not exaggerating, probably larger than any party Tony could ever hope to throw. There were tables piled high with desserts and alcohol. Separate tables were filled with different meats and breads. I am not entirely happy to admit I went right for a glass of wine. Darcy followed me, and we stood next to each other sipping wine and laughing over things that had happened to us before we became tangled with SHEILD and The Avengers. We were laughing until Steve walked up and asked Darcy to dance. I could tell he was smitten with her; the way he smiled when she talked to him, or always seemed happy when she was in the room. Darcy shot an excited look in my direction, and I waved her off good naturedly. She handed her glass to me and Steve twirled her away. Sighing, I downed the rest of her glass, and then finished my own.

I looked around for Thor to see if I could congratulate him on his future kingship. I found him talking to Jane and another man with scruffy red hair and a long beard. "Hey Thor," I said as I got closer.

"Diana! It is good to see you. Where is Darcy? I thought she was with you?" he said.

"Darcy kinda ditched me. She went to dance with Steve." I replied.

"Thor," the man with the beard said. "Who is your friend?"

"How rude of me. Diana, this is Volstagg of the Warriors Three. Volstagg, this is Diana. Or as she is better known, Valkyrie." I blushed as he mentioned my old name. I still went by it, but only on missions.

"Well, I had probably better be going. Sorry for interrupting; I just wanted to congratulate Thor on being a king tomorrow," I said as I rubbed my arm awkwardly.

"Wait Diana, I almost forgot." Thor said. Turning to Jane, he said, "I must go for a moment. I will be back in a bit." Then he turned to me and led me away, softly gripping my arm. "It took me a while to convince him, but my brother is willing to meet you." He said to me.

"Who is your brother? I asked Tony and he wouldn't tell me."

"Um," Thor began. "It's complicated. But he is very much like you." Thor said to me. If he was like me, did that mean he had a troubled past or everything he cherished had been ripped away in one cruel moment? I shook the thoughts away as we wove in and around people in the crowd. We finally made our way to the other side of the ballroom, where massive pillars rose like trees from the floor and touched the ceiling. A man was leaning casually against one of said pillars, one foot supporting him while the other was pulled up and resting on the pillar.

His arms were crossed loosely in front of his chest, and his head was tilted back. His raven hair was smoothed back and the ends touched his shoulders. His eyes were closed, but I knew he knew we were there. I noticed he wore a lot of green and black. I also noticed that he was one of the most attractive people I had seen.

"Um, Thor I don't want to do this." I said, twisting my arm to escape his grasp. I suddenly felt very self-conscious in my backless green dress.

"Nonsense. I am sure you will enjoy my brother's company." Thor said. I pulled on my arm harder.

"And I'm sure I would enjoy his company as well, but seriously Thor let me go." Thor stopped walking and released my arm.

"Why do you not wish to meet my brother?" he asked. I rubbed my wrist.

"Well um, you see, I have a boyfriend Thor. I made myself promise that I wouldn't go near any guy that I thought was, well you know," I paused and blushed, hiding my face with my hair. "Attractive."

Thor looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You think Loki is attractive?" he asked incredulously.

"Uh, yes. I guess so. I don't know but…" I was interrupted as I heard my name called loudly. Saved by the bell. "Got to go." I turned to leave and started walking quickly. I glanced once over my shoulder, hair hiding part of my face. Loki's clear green eyes stared into mine, searching and calculating. I could hear Thor calling after me, but I just quickened my pace. I looked over my shoulder to see if Thor was following me.

"Oh!" I squeaked as I bumped into someone. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" I asked as I helped a blonde man with a beard and mustache up from the ground.

"Yes I'm fine. I should ask if you are." He replied once he was standing. I told him I was fine. "May I ask, what is a fine woman like you running from?"

"My friend put me in a difficult spot. Didn't know how to really respond to it." I said. He smiled at me.

"I am familiar with that. Who is your friend?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said nervously. "I'm sure you would think I was crazy."

He snorted and shook his head. "I have seen much that others would call crazy. I would believe you. But why don't you tell me over a dance?" he held out his hand and I took it. He led me onto the dance floor and started twirling me around. "That would be lovely. Just as so long as it gets me away from Thor." I said, and then blinked, realizing I had said too much. He looked at me in surprise.

"Are you one of the Midgardians that he brought here for his crowning?"

I nodded in surprise. "How did you know?" I asked. He grinned at me.

"I am Fandral from the Warriors Three. I am one of his closest friends."

I was about to reply when I heard my name called again, louder this time. I let go of Fandral's hand and said, "I have to go. Nice meeting you, it really was. Thank you, I owe you one." Then I hurried off to find Pepper, who was the one looking for me. When I found her, she was standing with Tony and Bruce, looking worried.

"Where were you? No one could find you anywhere!" she scolded me gently.

"I was dancing," I said simply. She looked taken aback.

"With whom?" she asked.

"His name was Fandral; he was one of Thor's friends." I said.

"Oh. Well, Tony and I are going back to our rooms and were just wanted to tell Thor goodbye. I thought he might be with you, but I guess I was wrong."

"Well he was with me, but I had to leave. If you want to find him, I think he's back there." I motioned to the ballroom. She and Tony left, and I was standing alone with Bruce. "So," I said. "Want to go get completely wasted and crash this party?" Bruce grinned.

"I'm good thanks. If I crashed this party, I think it would be almost literal." I patted him on the shoulder with a sigh.

"Well, the plan's still good to me. I'm going to go find something to drink." I yawned and stretched as I walked away, heading for the drinks. I picked up a tall glass full of red wine and leaned against the wall as I sipped. The party wasn't even close to being over, and we had been there for hours upon hours.

"This party will most likely go late into the night, and early into the morning. I wouldn't bet on seeing any of your friends until tomorrow."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a smooth voice registered from directly behind me. I whirled around, coughing on the wine I had been drinking. I almost choked again as I saw who it was that had been speaking. Loki stood behind me with hi hands clasped behind his back. He gazed at me, observing everything about me.

"Uh, hi." I said awkwardly.

"Don't be so stiff. I know you're attracted to me; you have no need to hide it," he said. I laughed and he seemed taken aback.

"I said you were attractive, not that I was attracted to you. You jumped to a conclusion." I said, taking a sip of my wine. "If I was attracted to you, I would have done something by now. I'm braver than I used to be." I winked at him, the turned and sauntered away. I looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, I felt like I was going to throw up. I finished my glass of wine in one quick gulp. I just flirted with a god.

000

I stumbled slightly as I walked back to my room, and my guide steadied me. I had spent another few hours at the bar, and I was pretty tipsy. "Wait," I mumbled. I steadied myself on the door and took my high heels off. Walking was much easier now that I wasn't six inches taller. When I made it to my room, the man who had helped me back turned and left me. I pushed the door open and threw my shoes on the bed. I slipped out of my dress and hung it over the foot of my bed, leaving me in my thin silk slip. I walked over to my balcony and pulled open the curtains covering the windows.

My room was then bathed in silver moonlight, and pushed open the balcony doors. A soft, cool breeze wafted through the open doors and into my room. I walked out onto the balcony and leaned over the rail. I stared out over the massive garden, admiring the white and silver flowers that seemed to be the only ones open at the moment. I was probably a few stories above the garden, but I could still see the flowers. Smiling, I turned around and went to my bed. I sat on the edge and reached over to turn my iPod on. I paused when I noticed a small light blinking on my phone. It wasn't the normal red of a low battery, but the blue of a missed message. Even when my phone was off, t would still alert me to a missed call or text. I grabbed it and clicked the power button. After a moment, it powered on and I unlocked it. I called my voice mail and held the phone up to my ear. It winced as I realized it was Sam who had called. I waited patiently for my phone to finish ringing for the voice mail.

_Um, hey Diana. I hope you're having a great time on Asgard. But I've been thinking about stuff. About us. _

My stomach clenched and my hand trembled, fearing is next words.

_I really don't want to act like the bad guy here, but I don't think we should see each other anymore. It isn't you, really, it's me .I hope you get this message before you come back to Earth. I called you because I couldn't stand to see the look on your face or see you cry. _

There was a short pause, then a sigh.

_Okay, bye. I hope when you see me next, you will have it in your heart to forgive me. _

My fist clenched around my phone as the message cut off. I sucked in a deep shaking breath, and blinked hard. I hadn't realized I had been crying until the wetness of the tears made my face itch. Silent tears poured down my face and I pulled my knees up to my chest. I bit my tongue to keep from sobbing, but it was too much and I let out a hiccupping breath. Dropping my phone on the ground, I jumped off my bed and ran to my door, throwing it open.

I took off down the hall that led me to Tony and Pepper's room. I had memorized the way there the last time I had been. I pushed my way past a guard walking down the wall and kept running, fast as I could run. The thin green silk slip I was in went only to my knees, so it didn't slow me down, but it was revealing. When I stopped at Tony and Pepper's door, I didn't stop hammering at it with my fist until I heard an irritated, "I'm coming! Jeez, impatient much?"

The door opened to an angry looking Tony, with messed up hair and bags under his eyes. He looked like he had been prepared to yell at whoever had been disturbing his sleep, but when he saw me and the tears streaming down my face, his face softened and he gathered me into a hug. I curled into his arms and cried into his shirt. He and Pepper had become like my parents, and I trusted them with everything.

Leading me into his room, he made me sit on the edge of the bed. Lighting a few lanterns, he shook Pepper awake. When she heard my muffled sobs, she grabbed a blanket and threw it over my shoulders. She sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around me.

"What happened?" she asked softly. She stroked my hair and hugged me comfortingly as I shakily told her about listening to the voicemail Sam had sent me, and how he said he wanted to break up. "That's the worst way to break up with someone!" she exclaimed softly. I nodded and rubbed at my face with the heel of my hand.

I rubbed my temples with my fingers; I could feel a headache coming on. Pepper stood up and went over to her bags. Pulling out a small white bottle, she shook two little orange tablets out onto her palm, pulled a different bottle out and took out a small purple one. "Here," she said, coming to stand back over by me. "This is ibuprofen and Benadryl. It should help with the headache and help you sleep." I gratefully took the medicine and swallowed them dry, giving her no time to get me water.

"I think I just want to be alone for a while." I said softly. "Thanks for listening to me." I stood up from the bed and Pepper gave me a hug. Tony rubbed my back comfortingly.

"When we get back, I'm going to talk to him." Tony said. I was afraid to ask about his methods. I hugged Tony and Pepper once more then trudged back to my room. I was almost there when a flicker of green and black registered in the corner of my eye. Sighing, I turned to look at Loki, standing with his arms crossed casually, and leaning on the wall.

"Can't stay away from me, can you?" I asked. He walked closer to me.

"You compliment me. Who doesn't want to be complimented?" he asked smoothly.

"Look," I said, sighing. "I've had a really, _really_, hard day. I'm not in the mood to talk to you. To anyone really." I paused and hugged my blanket closer. "I'm sure you have my best intentions at heart, but I could seriously kill something _right now_. All I really want to do is have a really very strong drink." I turned back around and continued walking to my room.

"I was going to invite you out for a drink, but I suppose you wouldn't want to have one with me."

I sighed and rubbed my face. Turning to face him, I said, "I'll go if you have that really strong ale that Thor talks about all the time."

000

Sorry for not updating. I was pretty busy. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. I was watching HIMYM (how I met your mother) today on Netflix, and I saw the one where ted breaks up with Natalie over voicemail. I had already planned on Sam breaking up with Diana over voicemail, and I was like, Whoa.


	4. Kingship and White Roses

So, I watched the Thor 2 trailer. Its epically amazing, and I heard a rumor that Loki is a good guy. And the best part? IT COMES OUT THE DAY BEFOR MY BIRTHDAY! Plus, it has Loki in it. but based on the trailer, it looks kinda like he dies or something. If he does, I'll be pissed. IMPORTANT! There are a lot of songs in this chap. So skip them if you want. NE way, I own nothing. Enjoy!

000

I blinked hard as the sun streaming through my open window shone directly on my eyes. I stretched and yawned, sitting up and letting the sheets fall off of me. I shivered as an early morning breeze drafted over my skin, and I yelped as I realized I was naked. I gathered up my sheet and covered myself. Looking around, I realized I wasn't in my own room. Yes, there was a balcony, but it was on the other side of the room. There was more books, and tables littered with scrolls and books opened to certain pages.

And the sheets were green. As was the rug, and the curtains covering the window that opened up to be a door leading out to the balcony. "Please tell me I didn't," I whispered softly. There was a soft shifting next to me and I winced. I did. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing it was just a bad dream. I didn't remember anything from last night. The last thing I could recall, I had accepted going out for a drink with Loki. Dread pooled in my stomach. If I did it…with him, I was dead. Thor would kill me, Tony would kill me, and Fury would kill me. Then they would bring me back to kill me again.

I winced again as the mystery person next to me shifted again. I cracked an eye open and looked down and to my left. The person was facing away from me, but I had a pretty good idea of who it was based on the mess of black hair. "Shit," I hissed. I slipped out of the bed and started looking for my clothes. My legs almost gave out on me, and they were shaking a little. "Oh what the hall did I do?" I found my green slip on the floor at the foot of the massive bed, and my underwear was under the sheets shoved at the bottom. But I couldn't find my bra anywhere! I raked a hand through my hair and put a hand on my hip.

"What am I going to do?" I asked myself. As if in response, the man in the bed rolled over. It was indeed Loki. And he had my bra. Well, it was under his pillow. I could see it hanging out from over the edge of the bed. I tip toed over and gently pulled it out from under his pillow. When it was finally in my grasp, I put it on and clipped the back. I pulled the slip on over my head and crept out the door. I felt a little bad for leaving him there, but then I realized he would have done the same to me. I was just lucky I had woken up first.

When I got back to my room, there was a note on my pillow. It said _Wear your uniform to the coronation, not your dress. It's very formal, so make sure it looks nice. –Tony. _I pulled out my uniform from one of my bags and set it on my bed. I pulled my slip off and changed into a fresh set of undergarments, then pulled my uniform one, which was like a white version of Natasha's suit. It had been changed since I first got it, and instead of a blue stripe up the side I had a black one.

I tied my shoes and pulled my hair into a loose ponytail. I paced my room in thought. If I had really done what I had thought I had, I was in big trouble. I knew Thor would be disappointed, and Tony would be furious, but it was really more what Loki thought that mattered. I knew this was most likely a one night stand, but I was worried he wanted it to be something more. I just ended a relationship. I didn't want another serious one so fast. I was interrupted by a knock on my door, and I steeled myself, hoping it wasn't Loki. To my relief, it was Steve. "Oh hey Steve. What do you need?" he was wearing his uniform and had his shield strapped over his back.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. "We need to leave. The coronation starts soon."

"How late are we?" I asked as I allowed myself to be dragged down the hall by my arm.

"Late," he replied tersely. We got to the throne room and the guards in front pushed open the heavy golden doors for us. We walked up the isle and took our places on the steps leading up to the throne. For a moment, all was quiet. Then, someone started cheering, and people quickly joined in. soon, the whole room full of people was roaring and clapping, and if it was even possible, got even louder when the doors swung open and Thor strode into the room. People reached across the aisle to try to touch him (They were escorted out) and others waved and cheered.

Thor strode down the aisle grinning and brandishing Mjolnir. I had heard last time he was to be king, he had been flipping it around and raising his arms to refresh the excitement. He was more modest, but still, you could feel the happiness radiating off of him. When he reached the steps to the throne, he knelt and bowed his head. Odin rose from his throne and took a step forward and said, "Gungnir. Its aim is true, its power strong. With it I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning. And though the day has come for a new King to wield his own weapon - which duty remains the same. Thor Odinson, my heir, my first-born.

"So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Forged in the heart of a dying star, from the sacred metal of Uru. Only one may lift it. Only one is worthy. Who wields this hammer commands the lightning and the storm. Its power has no equal - as a weapon, to destroy, or as a tool, to build. It is a fit companion for a King." He paused and took a breath, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips.

"Thor Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself to the good of all the Realms?"

"I swear."

"Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you King!" his voice rose to a shout at the end and he raised Gungnir above his head. Thor stood and the crowds cheered wildly, their shouts echoing in the massive room. Odin stepped aside and gestured for his son to ascend the steps. He did, and when he reached the throne, he turned and sat. The cheers redoubled and I could feel Steve pounding on my back and he was grinning.

"Can you believe it?" I asked him, grinning. He was about to enter when a ray of light burst through the window and lit upon the throne. It sparkled and glowed and lit up the room with a warm golden light. A ray of light strikes my eyes and I wince, holding u a hand to block the light. I squint and see that the light is coming from a gold helmed man, with two long horns sprouting from the forehead. I almost laughed when I saw it was Loki.

000

Natasha and I were laughing over the antics of the drunken Asgardians, me leaning on her shoulder for support when two drunk men twirled past us on the dance floor. We were both holding glasses of wine and we were a little tipsy ourselves. It was a few hours ater the coronation, and we were enjoying the party.

"D-did you see the one with the pink bow in his hair?" I gasped, holding onto her shoulder. She laughed even harder, nails digging into my shoulder. I straightened and took a draft of my wine, grinning. Natasha finished her glass off then set the empty glass on a nearby table. She took a deep breath, and then patted my shoulder.

"I'm going to go find Clint." She said. Maybe she wasn't as tipsy as I thought she'd been.

"I think I saw him over there," I motioned with my hand to the left. She thanked me and then left, weaving in and around the crowd. I leaned back on my heels, hiding my grin with the rim of my glass.

"Don't drink too much. Don't you remember what happened last time?" The voice didn't startle me this time.

I turned to face Loki who was still wearing his golden horned helm. "Nice horns Reindeer." I said, turning back to face the front. "What, you couldn't stay away?" He glowered at the reindeer comment, but quickly recovered.

"If I recall correctly, it was you who couldn't stay away from me."

I turned to face him again, eyes wide. "What do you mean?" I asked a slight tremor in my voice. He sighed and examined his nails. But he didn't answer my question. Instead, he said,

"Leaving me without any type of explanation to what happened wasn't very polite."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I sniffed. He walked closer to me, eyes hard.

"Oh I think you do." He was close enough that I had to look up in order to see his eyes. I could see a small flicker of doubt in his eyes, and a spark of confidence lit in my chest.

"You don't remember either, do you?" I asked, placing my hand on his chest and pushing him away. "So don't expect to come in getting your questions answered when I don't know the answer." I started walking away to find something better to do, but he grabbed my shoulder.

"Maybe you don't want to know." He said softly. I set my glass on a table and raked my hands through my hair. Turning to face him, I said,

"Look, I want nothing more than to know what happened. But that's it. It was a drunken mistake that I wish I could undo. But I can't undo it, so I choose to live with it. Let it go, okay?" I started to walk away, but his soft voice stopped me.

"Would you like for me to show you?"

"Can you do that?"

"Probably."

"That isn't good enough," I said. "If you want to convince me, you'll have to do better than that." I turned to look at him, but he was gone. I snorted. "Classic."

"I'll stop by your room later. I can show you." He murmured. He sounded like he was standing right next to me, but my eyes told me better. I stretched a hand out, but it passed through empty air. I frowned, but in my head I was grinning. Tricksters.

000

The first thing I did when I got back to my room was set up a song on my iPod. Music was my life, if it wasn't obvious. Then I unzipped my uniform and tossed it on my bed. It was around midnight, and the party wasn't even close to being done. It would probably fade right into the after party, which would also last all day. I started singing to_ Breakeven_ by the Script. I was captured in the sound and started singing along to the music.

_I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing_

_Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in_

_'Cause I got time while she got freedom_

_'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break even_

I twirled around and grabbed my suitcase and unzipped it while I sang.

_Her best days were some of my worst_

_She finally met a man that's gonna put her first_

_While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping_

_'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even... even... no_

_What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you?_

_And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?_

_I'm falling to pieces, yeah,_

_I'm falling to pieces_

I pulled my silk pajama shorts out and a blue spaghetti strap tank top. I pulled them on while the music played.

_Oh, you got his heart and my heart and none of the pain_

_You took your suitcase, I took the blame._

_Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains, ooh_

_'Cause you left me with no love and honor to my name._

I reached down and touched my toes, then lifted my leg up high over my head. Slowly, I straightened my back and lowered my leg. I repeated the process then rolled my shoulders. All the while I stretched, I sang.

_What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you?_

_And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?_

_(Oh glad you're okay now)_

_I'm falling to pieces, yeah_

_I'm falling to pieces, yeah_

"You should consider singing in public," Loki said from behind me. I jumped and shut my mouth. Blushing furiously, I turned to glower at him. He had changed out of his formal armor.

"I don't sing in front of people I don't know. Plus, what would you know?" I inquired, rubbing my face to rid myself of the blush.

"Does that mean you don't know me?" he asked softly. "When I reveled myself, you got quiet," he pointed out. I rubbed my arms and shrugged, looking away.

"It isn't that it's just..." I trailed off.

"Just?" Loki prompted.

"Just that, whenever I sing, people pop out of nowhere and then they tell me they heard it all. It's embarrassing, is all." Loki walked forward and took my hands.

"Sing for me now," he prompted. At my look, he added, "I promise I won't pop out of nowhere." I sighed, and then took a deep breath. The song on my iPod had changed to _Iris_ by GooGoo Dolls. It was around the middle of the song, but it was my favorite part.

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming_

_Or the moment of truth in your lies_

_When everything feels like the movies_

_Yeah, you'd bleed just to know you're alive_

I finished, softly fading out as I stared up into Loki's green eyes, almost the same shade as mine, if only a few shades darker. Our faces were inches apart, and I slowly reached up on my tiptoes to close the gap. He released my hand and placed it on my hip. I let go of his other hand and placed it on his cheek. My lips brushed his, and at that moment, my powers decided to act up. Ice crackled down my arm and onto my hand, forming a long, but blunt, ice dagger.

I jerked away, and muttered an apology. He looked disturbed by the ice encasing my hand, so I quickly melted it with a ball of electricity. When all the ice had melted off of my arm, he asked me, "Have you ever tried to reach absolute zero?"

"Yeah, once. I passed out for days. I haven't tried since."

He nodded, intrigued. Then, he coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually did come here for a reason."

"Yes, I know. But it doesn't matter anymore. I don't care." I said while I rubbed my arm, trying to get feeling back into my arm.

"It isn't for that one," he said. I looked up at him curiously. "I thought you would like to see the Royal garden. It's quite spectacular at night, under the full moon." My stomach fluttered nervously, and I was shocked to find that I actually wanted to go.

"I would… like that." I said with a smile. "Let me get a jacket." I snatched the maroon hoodie I had worn when I first got here out of my bag and slipped my arms through. The sleeves went down to my knuckles, and the hem went to about mid-thigh, so it was about two sizes too big. But Thor had given it to me, and it was pretty much the most comfortable thing ever.

I snuck after Loki, hiding behind pillars when guards came, not wanting to get caught while wearing my pajamas. When we reached the staircase to go down to the Garden, there was the unmistakable stamp of boots coming up the stairs. Loki then wrapped an arm around me muttered a quick, "Close your eyes," and then we were standing in a cool grassy glade, with a path wandering off to the right.

"What did you do?" I gasped, clutching my stomach and doubling over.

"I teleported. I know it can be unpleasant for first timers, but it was necessary." Loki replied.

By the time he was done speaking, I had already recovered and was busy admiring a silver and white lily, with petals spread wide open before the moon. "The moon lily. It only opens its petals during the full moon. It's quite beautiful, is it not?" he asked, coming to stand by my side.

"Gorgeous," I said, tracing a finger along one waxy petal. "But I prefer white roses." I added the last part as more of an afterthought. They were my mother's favorites, and she always had a fresh bouquet at home. I grew used to the sight of white roses, and then grew to love them.

Taking my hand, Loki led me down the path, his leather boots scuffing, and my bare feet making no noise at all. We came to a small clearing in the tall flowering bushes, where a low stone bench sat underneath the branches of a willow tree, and a small stream trickled along the other side. Crickets chirped softly. The clearing was surrounded with roses, from deep red, to pure white. And each one was open, soft, fragrant petals turned to the moon. Washed in moonlight, the clearing looked truly magical.

"Like these?" he asked. I nodded, too stunned to answer. I had heard that the rose was a stupid flower to celebrate love, because of the thorns and how hard it was to even hold the flower without getting pricked from a fool on Valentine's Day last year. I told the blustering idiot that it symbolized love perfectly because like all relationships, you had to move past the pricks and sharp thorns to get to the beautiful flower that it really was.

"I used to come here when I was a boy." Loki said absently. "I still do, though not as often as I would like. I've never shown anyone this place before you." I looked up from the yellow rose I had smelled.

"No one else has ever come here?" I asked, surprised.

"No," he said, sounding troubled. "Others have. But I haven't shown anyone the way."

I 'Hmmd' and moved on to a large white rose with a creamy yellow center. It was probably the size of my fist, and didn't have too many thorns. Loki came up beside me and plucked the rose off the bush gently. He placed the flower in my hair above my left ear, the white contrasting starkly against my black hair. "Thank you." I said softly. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face with a soft finger.

I took a small step closer to him and placed a hand on his upper arm. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk when I came here. I…" he cut me off when he placed his hand on the side of my face and brought his closer. Our lips touched, and that was all it took. He was kissing me, and I was kissing back. Just earlier today, I was saying how I didn't want another serious relationship, and now I was kissing the God of Lies and Mischief.

Only when neither of us could breathe did we pull back. He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. I copied him by closing mine. He pulled away. "I'm sorry. I do not know why I did that. I hope I didn't offend." He turned to the stone bench under the tree and sat, partially hidden by the branches. I followed suit and sat beside him, closer than the situation warranted.

"You didn't offend me. Quite the opposite." Tentatively, I reached out and wrapped an arm around his waist. He reciprocated by wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I scooted closer and rested my head on his shoulder. We sat that way for a moment, and then his arm slipped lower to my waist.

"There aren't spiders in here, are there?" I asked suddenly, very aware that I had no pants, and that anything could crawl up my leg and bite me.

"Spiders?" Loki asked. I shrugged defensively.

"I don't like them. But they always seem to find me. I just don't want to get bit."

Loki hummed, then once gain murmured, "Close your eyes." I did so, not wanting to feel the rush of vertigo. The chirping crickets vanished, as did the sound of the stream and the breeze through the willow leaves. I opened an eye and looked around the room. I was back in my room, not a hair out of place. Loki sat on the bed beside me, arm still wrapped around my waist. I unzipped my jacket and tossed it on the floor, then stood up and opened the balcony doors. The breeze swept through room, refreshing and clean. I took a deep breath and reveled in the taste of the air.

"You're an odd one." Loki commented from his spot on my bed.

"But I compliment you," I said walking closer to him. "And everyone likes to be complimented." He stood to greet me.

"I suppose so." Then he reached a gentle hand down and cupped my face, bringing it up for a kiss. I tilted my head to deepen it, and he pulled me closer to him. We moved in a rhythm, not letting the other escape, at least until we needed to breathe. Eventually, he pulled away and whispered against my lips, "I have to go. It's late as well, and you need sleep."

My hand on his chest stayed him. "Could you just," I paused. "Just stay with me tonight? Not- not like that, but just stay."

"Yes, I suppose. But only for you." He said softly. I let go of him and went to my bed. I scooted over and slipped under the sheets. I hadn't realized I was so tired until my head hit the blue pillow. I watched drowsily as Loki striped off his jacket and boots. Then he slipped under my sheets and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I buried my face into his chest, and soon, drifted off, dreaming happily for the first time in years.

000

Songs mentioned-

Breakeven-The Script

Iris-Goo Goo Dolls

I got the lyrics from A-to-Z lyrics.


	5. After it all

Hello! So, I have really good news, and a good reason to be happy. My schools out! Three months of staying up late, sneaking downstairs at two in the morning to get food and caffeine and writing until I can't feel my hands and they keyboard is blurry. SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER TO ME BABY! Hope you liked the last chapter. I liked it.

DISCLAIMER! I own nothing but my OC Diana.

000

When I woke up the next morning, I was warm, and felt like I was wrapped in a nice hot blanket. I didn't stretch my arms, but I yawned and tried to bury my head into my pillow. When I met resistance, I froze and cracked my eyes shot open. I was met with the sight of an armorless Loki, with one arm wrapped around my shoulders. For a moment, I was scared I had done it again, but then the events of last night flooded back to me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I pressed myself into his side and breathed in his scent. He smelled like vanilla and spices, and something more that I couldn't place.

I closed my eyes, listening to the hum of music and enjoying the warmth of my companion. It was ruined however, when someone nocked on my door. "Who is it?" I called softly, not wanting to wake Loki.

"It's Natasha," she called. I hissed. Natasha liked Loki least of all. I shook his shoulder and when his eyes snapped open, I placed a hand over his mouth.

"Natasha is at my door," I said quietly. He slipped out and grabbed his jacket and boots, and then his form wavered and then blinked out. "Um, one second." I called. I stood up and mussed my hair where it had been pressed flat from lying on Loki's arm. Then I leapt out of bed and went to my door and pulled it open. I could see Natasha in her dress, looking flashy, and Clint in a tux.

"Were you talking to someone?" Clint asked curiously. I cocked an eyebrow.

"No, why?"

Clint shrugged, and Natasha cut in. "We were wondering if you wanted to go to the party with us. This party is just going to be like a feast, nothing too rowdy." I nodded.

"That would be great. Just let me get ready." They nodded and I closed the door. I quickly stripped and then pulled on my backless slip, followed by my dress. I slipped the opal necklace on, and then applied a coat of mascara. I examined my reflection in a piece of metal, and then I grabbed my shoes. I brushed the tangles out of my hair, gritting my teeth when one snag yanked on my scalp. I noticed the white rose lying on the floor; it must have fallen out of my hair last night.

I picked it up and stroked one slightly wilted petal. I tucked it behind my ear and let the petals brush the side of my face. I walked to my door and pulled it open, then stepped out. I heaved the heavy door closed behind me, then turned to face my friends. "Okay, let's go."

As we walked down the hall to the banquet room, Clint turned to me and asked, "Where'd you get the rose?"

"I went for a walk in the gardens last night and I picked this rose. I liked it, so I decided to wear it." I smiled as I spoke, trying not to seem defensive. It worked. We reached the Banquet room and the guards pushed the door open for us. The rest of the team was already there, along with Thor and Loki and their parents, and a few other close friends.

I followed Clint and Natasha and took my place next to them. It was a private Feast, so it was only Thor and his closest friends and family. Then afterward, there would be a public one that would last all day, but you could mill around or leave if you wished. We were all talking and laughing while we waited for the breakfast feast to be served. I was laughing at a joke of Tony's when I looked over up the table to my left. Loki caught my eye and smiled. I blushed, but smiled back shyly. Clint nudged me with his elbow.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?"

"You and Loki just then. You smiled at each other and then you blushed."

I shot him a look. "I don't know what you saw, but I did not blush at Loki. Yes I smiled; I was being polite." Before Clint could reply, the kitchen doors burst open and cooks filed out, each toting at least four plates full of food each. They served a plate to everyone, then bowed and backed away. Hungry as I was, I didn't dig in as eagerly as everyone else. I picked at my food, eating small bites. I was too busy thinking about Loki. If I wanted a real relationship, would I want it now, and with him?

Or did I want to take it slow, and wait for the right person? Then again, I had the last time I had waited for a person, he had ended up dumping me over voicemail. Maybe I should take a risk and go fast this time. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I noticed someone had said my name. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said," it was Tony, sounding irritated. "What do you think about Asgard? Like, what would you like here that we have on earth, or vice versa?" I thought about it. It was just Tony and I talking, everyone else was carrying on their own conversation.

"Well, the guys here are decent. I would like that back home." I said thoughtfully. Tony winked at me.

"I saw you eyeing someone over on the other end." He teased. I stiffened. How could he possibly have seen me and Loki looking at each other?

"Who?" I asked, genuinely curious, and hoping he was mistaken. He leaned across the table, careful to avoid the food and whispered,

"Fandral's down there. I saw you making eyes at him."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, and then disguised it as a normal sigh of impatience. "I suppose nothing does escape you, does it?" hey, I could humor the guy. Tony sat back and crossed his arms triumphantly.

"I thought so. Hey, you should go talk to him!" he sat forward again excitedly. "Once the breakfast feast is over, go talk to him, have a drink with him."

"Really, Tony?" I sighed. "I can't do that." I said.

"Why?"

"Because," I searched for a valid reason, other than the truth. "I'm a girl and I'm complicated. You know how guys have the Bro Code? Well, we have the Girl Code. I guess. And, I just broke up with Sam." Tony grumbled. The one thing he couldn't figure out was girls and it irked him that he couldn't understand them. I smiled down at my plate and took a bite, relishing the sweet tartness of the cold berries. The rest of the meal we all joked and laughed until we were all done. Then, we milled around for a while socializing and talking with everyone.

We were all ready to leave when Loki slipped up beside me. "I apologize I haven't been able to speak with you more. I never got the change; you were being such the social butterfly." I grinned and flicked his shoulder.

"Well I would have talked with you if I could find you." I replied.

"Maybe we can talk more later; we can meet up in your room."

I glared at him, and he raised his hands defensively. "Not what I meant. Or the Garden; the Garden's nice too." I reached up and patted his cheek.

"Oh, I know what you meant. Don't panic. That sounds nice; meet me in my room soon." I smiled charmingly. Casting a quick glance either way, and satisfied that no one was watching, Loki leaned down and kissed my cheek softly.

"I have a gift that I hope you'll like," he said before slipping away. I tried to bite back a grin and failed, but hey, points for trying. The grin however, slid from my face as I saw Bruce looking at me with wide eyes, mouth open slightly. Had he seen the whole thing? Bruce saw me looking, and he quickly glanced away. I felt a bead of dread form in my stomach and I crossed my arms and rubbed at them. Locating Pepper, I hurried over to her.

"Hey, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going to go back to my room and rest, okay? Will you tell Thor goodbye for me?"

Pepper assured me she would and told me to feel better soon. I smiled and hurried to the door, casting a glance behind me. When I got out of the Banquet room, I pulled off my shoes and started running to my room. I paced my room endlessly, wringing my hands. If Bruce saw us, then he would tell Tony, because they were Science Bros and they told each other every gossip related detail, and Tony would tell Fury. Or, _or, _I was being paranoid and nothing like that would happen because Bruce is like my uncle and he wanted to protect my privacy. I almost laughed aloud.

I heard my door open and I turned to see Loki slipping into the room. "I saw you leave, are you okay?" I nodded, chewing on my fingernail.

"I think Bruce saw you kiss me," I said. "If he tells Tony, we're screwed. I should be using the '_we', _right?" I looked at him.

"Yes, I'm staying by your side. I wouldn't do that to you."

"I know I know. But, it scares me you know? Tony is like my dad, and I don't want him to be disappointed. But you're my…" I stopped. "What are you?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," I began, wandering out onto my balcony. "Are you my Boyfriend, my one-night stand, my fling?" Loki leaned on the balcony rail, staring out over the garden.

"What do you want me to be?" he finally asked quietly. His hands were clasped in front of him, and I reached out and took them.

"Well, I know you aren't a one-night stand, because I wouldn't have seen you again. I know I definitely want you to be more than a fling." He turned my hand around so my palm was facing up and traced the love line on my hand. "So I guess what I'm saying is I do want you to be my boyfriend." He looked up from my hand. I could see a glint in his eye.

"Well, in that case, since you asked nicely, I accept." I smiled at his antics. "Now give us a kiss." I laughed and pushed at his chest half-heartedly.

"Maybe I will." I said, and slid closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me tight.

"That dress does look stunning on you." He said softly. I slid a hand up his chest plate and rested my arm around his neck. He brought his lips to mine and I closed my eyes. His other arm came under my legs and he picked me up bridal style. I quickly wrapped my other arm around his neck.

"That surprised me," I whispered. He grinned and I kissed him once quickly on the lips. What surprised me more was when he started carrying me into my room. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "I won't drop you."

"That isn't what I was asking about." I said.

"Don't worry," he said softer this time, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. He set me down gently on the edge of the bed and I leaned back on my hands. He sat next to me and pulled a velvet bag out of some hidden pocket. "Turn around and pull your hair to the side," he instructed. I did so, and I felt him unclasp the opal necklace. I pulled it off and set it on my nightstand. Then I felt something go around my neck and heard the click of a clasp. Then he pulled my hair back gently.

"There." He said. "It's a lapis pendant. I made it ages ago, but it never served its purpose." He handed me a small mirror and I looked at the pendant in admiration. It was round like a marble and set in white gold carved with intricate designs. Two smaller pieces of lapis flanked it at the top and bottom, a lighter color than the main gem. The gem in question was deep blue with small veins of white.

"It's beautiful," I said. "Why did you make it?"

"I actually don't remember. I made it so long ago that I forgot about it until yesterday. I'm glad you like It." he motioned with his hand for me to come sit with him and I left the mirror.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, tomorrow is the Game day, and I was wondering if you even wanted to go?"

"Well only for the archery part because Clint is competing, but other than that, no."

Loki squeezed his arm around me once, and I looked at him. "What?" I laughed. He shrugged and I poked him. "You lost the rose," he said suddenly. I reached up and felt above my ear. Sure enough, it was gone. I looked around and spotted it laying on one of the pillows.

"No I didn't. Here it is." I said as I picked it up. It was wilted and dry at some parts. "Oh well. It was only a rose, right?" I said. Loki reached out a finger and touched it. Instantly, the flower looked as if it had been picked seconds before.

"It will stay that way," Loki said. "Here, let me see." He took the rose from my grasp and then took two locks of hair from the sides of my head. He twisted them together without making a tangled mess and stuck what was left of the rose stem there. "Perfect." He decided. I stood and smoothed out my dress.

"How do I look?" I asked shyly.

Loki smiled at me. "Stunning." He decided. He stood and ran a hand down my arm. "I must be going. I'm sure mother is wondering where I am." I pulled him into a hug and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I like this," I said. He was playing with a strand of my hair.

"What?" he inquired. I pulled away slightly so I could look at him.

"This," I gestured with my hands. "Whole thing. The sneaking around. It provides excitement." He pulled me close again.

"I know another thing that would provide excitement." He whispered. I slapped his arm softly.

"No," I said, but couldn't stop the smile from forming on my lips. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he backed away with a smile playing on his lips, then slipped out the door and disappeared.

000

I know this chap was shorter than usual, but I didn't know what else to add on, and plus I'm listing to my fave playlist and I cant concentrate on anything. RandR.


	6. Dangling off the Edge

Hey! So, I think I have a new favorite song. She will be loved by Maroon5 is .zing.

DISCLAIMER! If I owned it, then Coulson would be alive and Loki would end up being a good guy.

000

The Games were truly spectacular, more magnificent then the Olympic Games. There was swimming, swordplay, wrestling and so much more. Thor had us all seated in the front row of the tall bleachers that rose high into the sky, so we would be close to whatever game was being played. The only exception was Clint, who would be competing in the archery contest. All of us were in our casual clothes, so most of us received odd looks from the local Asgardians. At the moment, two sword masters were facing off, each one breathing heavily and sweating. One of the fighters was Fandral, and I was silently rooting for him to win.

He wasn't really my friend, but he had been nice to me, so when he caught the other fighter's sword by the hilt and twisted it out of his grip, I did a small fist pump and got an amused look from Darcy.

"What?" I asked. She nudged me with her elbow.

"You like him," she teased softly. I shot her an affronted look.

"Do not," I protested. I crossed my arms and shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Sure you don't," she said, spreading her hands. I glared at her.

"I don't."

"And I believe you," she said with a small smile.

"No you don't," I said. "You're doing that Jane thing where you say something and sound all sincere but you're being sarcastic and confusing. Don't be that way."

"That 'Jane' thing?" I heard from the seat a few people to my right. I leaned forward and looked at her.

"Sorry, but you know it's true," I called over to her. I could hear her snort of amusement and I leaned back. Turning back to the fight, I ignored the slowly spreading grin Darcy was shooting my way. When she turned to face me entirely, completely facing away from the two men, I said, "I don't."

"Diana." She said seriously. I looked over to her.

"What," I sighed.

"I think you should ask him out. Go for a drink, dance." She pushed my shoulder playfully. "I'll be your best buddy," she pleaded when I sent her an annoyed look.

"You already are one of my best friends," I protested weakly. She stared at me. "What?" I asked, and she leaned closer, never blinking. I groaned and pushed her face away. "Fine, I'll ask him to have a drink with me. Happy?"

"Very," she replied smugly.

"Tomorrow," I said, hoping she wouldn't hear.

"It doesn't matter if it's today or tomorrow, you're still asking him out for a drink."

"Then I'll do it tomorrow," I replied. For a while, we enjoyed the silence and observed the ongoing fight.

"So what are you going to wear?" Darcy asked. I buried my face in my hand.

000

"And now for the awaited Archery competitors!" a loud voice echoed across the field we were sitting around. I had tuned out the previous parts of the competition, not really caring what was going on, but now it was Clint's turn to compete. I leaned forward in my seat, gripping the arm rests as Clint walked out onto the field, followed by four other people carrying bows.

There were five targets set up around the field, each one farther apart and further away. The goal was to see how close the center of the target you could get, but you only got one shot. I had a feeling Clint would pass with flying colors. Since Clint was the King's friend and comrade, he was to go first. I watched as he took up his position, bow facing down with an arrow knocked.

At some unspoken signal, he raised his bow and drew the arrow, released it in one fluid motion, then moved onto the next. All of this in the space of a heartbeat. He seemed to walk down the range, just turning and shooting as if he did it every single day. Well, really he did, but not with so many people watching. I watched with bated breath as he got to the last target and he pulled back the string. The released and the arrow sped toward the target, hitting it dead center. For a moment, the crowd was silent, and then a wave of cheers swept over the archers on the field, with clapping and whistling.

I flicker of green caught my eye, and I forced myself not to turn and look. I waited for a few seconds, and then I saw the flicker again. I leaned over to Darcy and said, "I'll be back in a while. If anyone asks, just tell them I'm in my room." Then I stood up and squeezed between the rows of people. When I got to the aisle, I sprinted up the steps and then walked out onto the field surrounding the arena. I hurried across the field and then into the garden. I weaved through the bushes, careful to avoid getting pricked by any thorns. Once I was out of the garden, I walked through the palace gates and started walking to my room.

I was almost there when a hand darted out from behind a statue and pulled me close. A girl probably my age was standing there. She had long golden hair and deep brown eyes, as well as a perfect complexion. Her dark blue dress fluttered around her feet and puddled on the ground. Her eyes darted around nervously and she leaned in close to me.

"I'm here to warn you," she whispered softly.

"From what?" I inquired curiously. Her hand clapped around my mouth.

"Not so loud!" she hissed. I nodded slowly and her hand dropped.

"What are you here to warn me about?" I asked, just as quiet as her.

"From him; he's dangerous. Don't trust him," then she let my hand go and she slipped away, silent like a cat. I walked out from behind the statue, frowning with worry. Who was I not supposed to trust? I thought I had an idea, but I shook it off quickly and started running to my room. I couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad was going to happen. I flashed past a few guards who gave me dirty looks, but I ignored them. The feeling in my stomach was intensifying and I quickened my pace until I was sprinting as fast as I could.

I was almost to my room when I saw a flicker of blue and green. It caught my eye and I skidded to a stop. I looked to where I had seen the flicker of color on the golden walls. I saw the girl that had spoken with me. And I saw Loki. Her hands were tangled in his hair and his arms were around her waist, and they were standing far too close to each other. I blinked and took a step back, covering my mouth with a hand. I turned on my heel and walked to few feet to my door with a shocked expression on my face. I pushed my door open with an angry shove. Of _course_ Loki would do this. He was the God of Lies! I stomped over to my bed and pulled my suitcase out and angrily started shoving my belongings into it. i reached up to brush a strand of hair away from my face when my hand bumped against the lapis pendant. I wrapped my fingers around it, gently at first. Then I ripped it off my neck and tossed it on the bed.

I zipped up my suitcase and snatched my duffel bag, yanking it open; I rummaged around until I found a notebook and a pen. I hastily scratched out a short message and ripped it out.

_Dear friends,_

_Something has come up and I can't stay here any longer. I truly wish I could stay and congratulate Thor and Jane on their wedding day, but it's hard to explain why I can't. I'll tell you when you guys get back. I'm just going to stay at the tower for a while to relax. I hope you can understand._

_-Diana_

My hands shook as I reread the message. The words began to get blurry and a few tears dripped down onto the paper and smeared the ink. I sucked in a trembling breath and set the paper on my pillow, then grabbed my bags I was almost at my door when something white caught my eye. I let go of my bags and turned to look. It was the white rose, still as perfect as the moment it was picked. I picked it up gently and brought it to my nose. I inhaled the sweet fragrance and closed my eyes, sighing. Then I let the rose slip from my grasp and land on the floor. I turned again and picked up my bags, ignoring the tears dripping down my cheeks. I pushed my door open and stared down the hall that would take me to the Bifrost. I hated the way my footsteps sounded in the hallway, an empty, hollow echo.

When I reached the gate that allowed access to the Bifrost, I pushed past the guards and began the long journey to Heimdall, who I had only seen once and he hadn't said anything. My footsteps made the rainbow colored crystal glow slightly for a moment, making a slight trail after me. When I reached the large golden dome that would allow me to go home and its tall foreboding protector, I stared up and him and said, "I want to go home."

"You have been hurt," Heimdall stated in his deep voice. I gave him my 'Duh' face.

"Tear stained face too much of a giveaway?" I asked.

"You should not leave. Things may yet be explained," He said. I laughed, the sound verging on hysterics.

"I just want to go home! I know you can do that, so send me home," I chuckled, but the sound was hollow and dead. Just like I felt. Heimdall sighed and turned to walk into the large dome. He walked to the center and placed his massive blade into it. He motioned for me to go stand opposite him, so I did, and he turned his sword in its slot. Once again I felt the awful sensation of being shoved through a vacuum, but it was quickly over. And to my surprise, I found myself on top of Stark Tower, not in the middle of the New Mexico desert. I looked around the roof and out to the sunset. The golden light illuminated the city and warmed my face. I smiled sadly, then turned away from the light.

I sighed with resignation and started walking to the door that led to the roof. I punched in a key code and the door beeped once an opened. I lugged my bags down a flight of stairs and finally got to the penthouse floor. I dropped my bags in the middle of the floor and walked over to the kitchen. I yanked open the door to the fridge and grabbed a jar of Nutella and a spoon out of the dishwasher. I stuck my spoon in and pulled out a generous wad of the creamy brown substance that could only be described as awesome-in-a-jar. I stuck the spoon in my mouth and wandered over to the living room. I plopped onto the couch and slung my leg over the side. I stuck another spoon full of Nutella in my mouth.

"Jarvis," I said with my mouth full. After a moment, there was a beep and then Jarvis' voice filtered through.

"Ah, Miss Diana. Where is the rest of the bunch?"

"Still on Asgard. I let the party early."

"Any particular reason why?" Jarvis asked in his perfect voice.

My hand tightened around the handle of my spoon. "No comment." I growled. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and looked up at the ceiling. "Jarvis, turn on Pandora radio."

"Any particular genre?" he asked politely.

"Nope," I said, popping the 'P'. Music started filtering throughout the room and I hummed along with the tune. After a while, and my Nutella was gone and the sun had sunk well below the horizon, I forced myself up. I wandered over to Tony's wet bar and grabbed a bottle of scotch. I pulled to top off and brought the bottle to my nose, bringing in its smoky smell, and then I dumped its contents into my mouth. I polished off the bottle then went up to the roof, staggering slightly. I sat on the edge of the roof, swinging my legs and looking out over the glowing city.

"My legs are dangling off the edge," I whispered softly. "The bottom of the bottle is my only friend." I sat there on the edge of the roof the entire night, even long enough to watch the sun rise. But when its soft pink light started to ignite the sky, I scowled and got up and left.

000

DePreSSinG! The 'Legs dangling off the edge' is a song called Bullet by HollywoodUndead. Most upbeat song about suicide EVER!

I can has reviews? Plz?! REVIEW!


	7. You have no idea

So, um, I really have nothing important to say other than the disclaimer. I'll probably think of something later on after I've posted this, but….. WARNING there is a little bit of swearing in this chapter. I try not to swear in my stories too much, but this can't be helped.

DISCLAIMER! I own Diana, but nothing else. The Avengers belong to Marvel, Thor and Loki belong to Norse Mythology (unfortunately)

000

I learned over the next three days that living all by yourself sucks. And it's hard. When I woke up the next morning on the couch, I had a killer headache and my mouth tasted awful. The sun was high and streaming in through the large windows and onto the floor. I rolled off the edge of the couch and sat up on the floor, cradling my head. I reached out with one hand and groped the air blindly. My fingers bumped against the edge of the coffee table and I grabbed it, pulling myself up. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut as the blood rushed to my head.

"Jarvis," I asked hoarsely. "What happened?"

"You went up to the roof and stayed there for the night. Then at around 5:30, you came down and started drinking Mr. Stark's scotch. I do not think he will be happy. After about three generous glasses of alcohol, you made some calls and then passed out on the couch." I could hear the disapproval in his voice and I winced.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "And who did I call?"

"It is currently 1:37 in the afternoon," Jarvis replied. "I do not know who it was that you called."

"Um, okay. Well, I'm going to take a really long, really hot bath. Alert me if anyone comes looking for me." I started my way to my room, taking small steps and wincing with every step. I stopped at my door and pushed it open with a soft shove. I stumbled across the floor to my bathroom and turned on the shower to its hottest setting. I undressed as I waited for the tub to fill, and then gingerly stepped into the hot water. I hissed softly as the hot water burned my skin, but it quickly cooled to a comfortable temperature. Since I was cryokinetic, my body was colder than the average person, so I was prone to random chills. My cold body was cooling the water faster than t would normally loose heat.

"Jarvis, put on some 'Coldplay,'" I called, ant then pushed myself under the water. I could hardly hear the music from underwater, but it still sounded like music. Once my breath had run out, I pushed myself back up and shook my head, trying to get the water out of my ears.

"Miss Grayson, you have a visitor," Jarvis said suddenly, cutting the music off. I frowned, but climbed out of the bath and grabbed my silk bathrobe. I wrapped a towel around my wet hair and left my room.

"Where are they, Jarvis?" I asked as I walked to the common room.

"Waiting in the living room," he replied, speaking softer than usual. I frowned, but continued. When I got to the living room, I could tell there was someone sitting on the couch, but I couldn't tell who it was.

"Can I help you?" I asked sharply. The person on the couch stood up and turned around, a smile on their face. It was Sam.

"I heard you were back in town," Sam said, walking around the couch and taking a step towards me. I took a step back and raised my hands up in a defensive posture.

"How in _the hell_ could you possibly know I was back," I accused sharply, eyes narrowing.

"Um, you called me." Sam said uncomfortably. "Don't you remember?"

Dammit Jarvis. I called Sam. "No I don't remember; I was drunk. Refresh my memory if you will."

"Uh well," Sam rubbed the back of his neck in that embarrassed and sheepish way he did back when we were still dating. It almost made me want to give him a hug. Almost. "You called me saying that you hated me and you wished you'd never met me. Then you went and said that you couldn't live a day of your life without me and you needed to be with me."

"I highly doubt I actually said that," I replied scathingly, crossing my arms over my chest and cocking one hip.

"I have a voice mail from you," Sam said, pulling out his phone. He tapped a few buttons and then held the phone up. A dial tone rang out a few times, then my voice emanated out. I sounded slurred and disoriented.

"Sam you better pick up your damn phone," the voicemail me said. "I wanna have some words with you. If you don't get over here right now, I'm gonna find you and I'm gonna make you listen." Then the voicemail cut off.

"I have another one," Sam muttered, tapping on his phone again. This time my voice was choked and I sounded like I had been crying.

"Sam, you're such an asshole! I never want to see your stupid face again!"

"I didn't know which message to believe, but I decided to just come anyways," Sam said.

"You should have listened to the second one," I snapped. "I was obviously emotionally distressed and or intoxicated!"

"That's why I wanted to come," Sam protested, taking a small step closer to me.

"Why on earth are you here!" I cried. "I do not want you in my life."

"I'm here because I want you back," he blurted. I recoiled and blinked with shock.

"You break up with me," I said disbelievingly, "Over _voicemail _and now, days after you leave me in the most cowardly way possible, you want me back?"

"Well you make it so bad," Sam said, trying for a joking tone of voice and failing miserably.

"Because it was bad, Sam! You broke my heart, and now you think you get a second chance?"

"Hey, everyone deserves a second chance and I think I deserve mine," he said, eyes glimmering.

"Oh, you did have a second chance. I just gave yours to someone else." I turned away from him and scowled down at the floor.

"Who?"

"Why do you need to know?" I growled.

Sam sighed and took a step closer to me so we were only an arm's length apart. "I want to know because I want to know if they were worthy of the chance."

"Sam, I'm going to put this as delicately as I can." I looked up at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If I were on fire, in the middle of the desert _on the sun_, I wouldn't accept a single drop of water from you. Not bread crumb if I was starving, not a drop of water of I was burning. If I was being eaten by sharks, I wouldn't want your help. I would climb down the shark's mouth myself." I felt like I had gotten my point through, but I still needed to make my point clearer. I balled my free hand into a fist and then punched Sam in the face. His head snapped back, but my hand on his shoulder stopped him from backing away.

"You've had that coming," I said, then punched him again. I finally let him go and led him to the elevator, ignoring the blood that dripped from his nose and onto Tony's carpet. I pressed the 'down' button on the elevator and it dinged open. I roughly pushed him through the doors and leaned in to press the lobby button. Just before the doors closed, I smiled brightly and waved, saying "Toodles!"

000

On the second day being alone by myself, I had to go to the emergency room and get stitches. I had been washing dishes and one of the knives slipped in my hand and slashed through my palm.

"Oh hell," I snarled, clutching my bleeding hand. I snatched a towel off the counter and wrapped I around my hand.

"Do you need me to call an ambulance?" Jarvis asked politely.

"No Jarvis, it's fine. I can drive myself."

"Very well."

I grabbed a new towel, since the one I had around my hand at the moment was already soaked in blood. I walked out of the kitchen and waited for the elevator to take me to the lobby. I hurried past the receptionist who gave me an odd look, then out to the parking lot. I struggled to unlock my car, but once it was open I stuck the keys in the ignition and roared out of the lot, not bothering with the seat belt. I skidded onto the freeway, wincing when the smell of burned rubber filled my nostrils. I sped down the freeway, ignoring the angry honks I was getting and the obscene gestures I was receiving.

"Oh screw you!" I yelled at a driver who had flipped me off. I waved the bloody towel around, and then turned my attention back to the road. I knew I was going too fast, and I had run about four red lights, but _dammit my hand hurt!_ I rolled my eyes when I heard the sound of sirens behind me. I pulled to the side of the road and rolled my window down, waiting for the officer to show up. I could hear the scuff of his boots on the asphalt as he approached my car.

"Miss, do you know how fast you were going?" he asked as he crouched down next to my window.

"Why don't you tell me," I sighed impatiently.

"Now don't get sassy with me," the officer scolded.

"I'm not being sassy officer, but I really don't have time for this."

"And why not?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

I waved around my bleeding hand, frowning as drops of blood ran down my wrist and dripped onto my pants. "Emergency got it?" then I rolled up my window and pulled onto the highway. I really hope the dumb cop knew I needed stitches and didn't take my plates.

000

I pulled into the hospital parking lot and got out of my car slamming the door shut. I trudged into the admittance room and stopped in front of a nurse sitting behind a desk and staring at a computer. "I need to get admitted."

"Yeah, so does everybody else in the waiting room honey. Fill out this form," the nurse said handing me clip board and not looking up from the screen.

"No, seriously. I need to be admitted or I might bleed to death."

"No seriously." The nurse said in a mocking none of voice, looking up at me. "Go fill out the form and wait."

"Fuck you," I breathed. The woman blinked in shock then opened her mouth to retort, but I was already gone. I struggled to write on the form since my right hand was currently covered in blood with a motherfucking gash in the middle, and I wasn't left handed. So when I was done writing, it looked like a blind man had been writing with his feet, and the pencil lead had broken every time it touched the paper. I pursed my lips and hummed, then stood up and walked to the front desk. I handed the clip board to the nurse who glared at me for a moment, then looked down at the form. She snorted with derision and looked up at me.

"What are you, blind and dumb with the mentality of a four year old?"

I narrowed my eyes. Lifting up my hand, I slowly uncurled my hand from around the blood soaked towel. I unwrapped the red dripping cloth from my hand, and then wrung it out over the desk. Blood dripped down into a shiny red puddle on the surface of the desk.

"Nope," I said, then turned around and strode away to wait. I waited for ages it seemed until they called out my name.

"Miss Diana Grayson," I stood up with an impatient sigh.

"Finally." I was greeted by a tall man with thinning hair and a graying mustache. He had wrinkled around his eyes, signs that he smiled enough. He introduced himself as Dr. Aritonia.

"I would shake your hand, but I'm covered in blood," I said, and he laughed.

"It's fine I see it every day."

I followed the doctor to a small room where he sat me on the bed and unwrapped the rag from around my hand. He whistled when he observed the deep gash on my palm.  
"What on earth did you do?" he marveled.

"Washing the dishes. Knife slipped. This happened," I summed up. The doctor hummed then stood to get some gauze and antiseptic. He washed out my wound, apologizing when I hissed at the pain.

"So where do you live?" he asked pleasantly as he cleaned the blood out from the slice on my hand.

"At the moment I'm living with a few of my friends. But they went on vacation, so they left me at home," I said softly.

"They ditched you, huh?"

"More like I ditched them." I sighed, wincing as he swiped the antiseptic cloth over the edges of the cut. "I live with a doctor," I said after a moment. "But he's more of a science doctor, not a medical one. But for some reason, whenever one of us gets hurt, we go to him to fix it."

Dr. Aritonia laughed. "How many roommates do you have?"

"At the moment, eight. It will probably be back down to six soon though," I replied pleasantly. The Doctor stood and went over to a small table where a sterile needle and a length of stitching thread lay. As he prepared the needle, he asked next question.

"What do you do for a living?"

"Well," I blew some air out of my mouth. "I'm kind of unemployed at the moment, but I'm hoping to find something soon."

The doctor came back over and sat on his little stool. He grabbed my wrist gently and said, "This might sting." As he sewed my hand up, he suddenly asked "What do you mean by kind of?"

"I sort of work for my roommates. I do chores and stuff, and they pay me." The lie came easy, falling out of my mouth without even thinking about it. "But I'm hoping to find something where I can sing." I hadn't planned that last part, but it just kind of slipped out. Dr. Aritonia hummed, and then finished stitching me up. He wrapped my hand in clean gauze.

"Change the dressing about twice a day. It should heal up quick. Come back in a few days and I can remove the stitches." I thanked him, apologized to the nurse on my way out, and found out that I hadn't gotten a single ticket while I was in the hospital.

000

The third day was probably worse than the first two, because I ran out of food. I stared at the empty refrigerator, and then glanced at the panty. I closed the fridge and crept towards the pantry door; like I was scared the food might run away. I yanked open the door and stared into the relatively empty room.

"Jarvis," I hollered. "How in hell are we out of food?"

"No need to shout Miss Grayson," Jarvis said, ever polite.

"Sorry," I replied sheepishly. "How are we out of food, I thought we went shopping just before we left for Asgard?"

"Miss Potts went shopping for the food drive; we did not keep any of the food." Jarvis informed me.

"Damn," I swore. "I don't want to shop."

"Unless you wish to live off Saltine crackers, bread, peanut butter, possible leftovers that are probably bad and water, I suggest you, to quote Mr. Stark, Suck it up and grow a pair."

I grinned. "Aw man, Jarvis. I don't tell you I love often enough."

"Thank you Miss Diana, but I don't understand why you suddenly got so happy."

"You just said something funny Jarv. No biggie." I sighed and ran a hand through my black hair. "Looks like I'm going shopping."

000

I stood on the edge of the basket below the cart and pushed myself forward with one foot, propelling myself along like I was on a skateboard. I smiled as I flashed past a mother and her son. The mother glared at me as if to say, "You're an adult, act like one." I set the tip of my boot on the floor and slowed to a halt as I approached the aisle I needed. I wheeled the cart to the left and started loading various items into the cart. I grabbed a jar of Nutella, though better of it, and grabbed six more.

"And this will only last a week," I muttered to myself. I strolled down the aisles, picking up what I needed. By the time I as done, I had filled the cart to the top and it took all my muscle to push it. The cut on my hand didn't help. I lugged my cart into the checkout line and sighed. I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket and pulled out my Stark Card. The little piece of plastic was magic. It could work wonders. As the woman started checking off my stuff, she stared at the seven jars of Nutella with an odd look on her face.

"My roommates like Nutella. This will most likely be gone in a week, tops," I explained. She shot me an uneasy smile and started checking the rest of my stuff off. I swiped the Stark Card in the slot and punched in the number. The woman's eye twitched as she saw the unmistakable symbol at the top of the card. I slid it back into my pocket and started loading my stuff into the cart.

"Thanks for your help," I grunted sarcastically. I started pulling the cart towards my car. I all but threw the bags off food into my car. I hopped into my car and slammed the door shut. Didn't even know why I was in such a bad mood, I just felt like I'd been having the worst day of my life. As I drove home, gripping the wheel tight enough that my knuckles turned white. I groaned and leaned my head on the wheel. I turned the radio up loud and drove home in a sour mood.

000

It took me three trips to get all of the groceries up and put away. I collapsed on the couch and groaned.

"I hate shopping," I complained to Jarvis. "I have a new respect for Pepper and what she does." Pepper was the one that usually did all the shopping for everyone, even though her schedule was pretty tight. After a moment of silence, I asked, "When do you think they'll be home?"

"If they are dropped off in the New Mexico desert, then I assume they'll be back around 10:35. If they are dropped off on top of the Tower, then soon."

I sighed. "Real helpful Jarvis."

"I try."

I was about to reply when the sky outside suddenly darkened, and a ray of multicolored light shot out of the middle and seemed to hit the roof. "Shit, Jarvis, Is that them?" I leapt up and started looking around, a panicked expression on my face.

"Yes Miss Diana. They are loading into the elevator now."

"Shitshitshitshitshit!" I raked a hand through my hair. I really didn't want to face them right now. I knew there was a stairwell that went down to the lobby, but I had never bothered to learn where it was. "I'm so screwed! Jarvis what do I do?" when he didn't respond, I snapped "That wasn't a rhetorical question!" Before he could reply, I heard the telltale ding of the elevator opening. I knew I had about twenty seconds before they walked into the living room. There was a short hallway between the elevator doors and the living room, along with a hallway going off to either side.

I could hear Tony arguing with Bruce and Clint, Natasha telling them to shut up, and Darcy laughing at them. They were about to walk in the living room, so I steeled myself and forced out a smile. As soon as Tony put a foot into the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks. About six people walked into his back and made him stumble forward.

"What the hell Stark?" Clint snapped, forcing his way in front of Tony.

"Hi guys," I rasped uneasily, waving a hand. I noticed Thor and Jane weren't there. As soon as I spoke, I was tackled by my friends all at once. It is still a mystery how they made it over to me so fast. "Can't breathe," I gasped. My arms were pinned to my sides my Steve and Darcy, and someone had me lifted off the floor. I was dropped on the floor gently and I pressed a hand to my chest.

"Geeze guys," I laughed. "Excitable much?"

"Yes, when we haven't seen you for three days," Bruce said.

"Yeah, what's with that?" Clint asked.

"You said you'd tell us when we got back," Steve added. I was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of questions from everywhere at once. I pressed a hand to my head.

"Shut up!" I roared suddenly, and all noise abruptly stopped. My eyes blazed for a moment, and then the fire in them died down as soon as it had flared. Steve stared at me with a shocked look on his face and Pepper had a raised an eyebrow. I was glad Thor wasn't there to witness my outburst.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I just… really don't want to talk about it. Not now; I'll tell you when I'm ready." I turned and pushed my way out of the crowd of people and went to my room. I had kept my mind off of what had happened for days, and now they just had to remind me. I flopped face first down on my bed and groaned. I kind of wished I was by myself again, if only for another day. I heard a quiet knock on my door and sighed. I swear to god if it's Clint or Tony…

"Who is it?" I called.

"Bruce," came the muffled reply.

"Come in," I sighed. The door opened and I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Bruce closed the door behind him and sat next to me.

"I know what's wrong," he said, getting right to the point. I snorted and turned to face him.

"Oh really? Please, tell me what exactly you think is wrong."

"It deals with Loki, I know that much," he said, almost smugly.

My eyes widened slightly. "How did you know?" I whispered. He put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes.

"Because you're my family. I try to know about things that might hurt my family."

"You won't tell Tony will you?" I asked glumly.

"I won't tell anyone," Bruce promised. "Cross my heart, slap me dead, stick a lobster on my head."

I chuckled. "You watch too much Farscape."

He gasped and drew back, looking offended. "There's no such thing as too much Farscape!" We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, and then I sighed. The sigh turned into a sob at the end, and suddenly I was crying. And the worst part was, I couldn't stop. Bruce put an arm around my shoulders and hugged me, trying to be comforting, but it really wasn't working. It's like hugging your brother, you love him, but it's just weird. But it was all I had. I turned and clung to his shirt, staining the purple fabric dark with my tears.

"Bruce," I sobbed. "I think I was in love with him! The first real time I was in love with someone!"

"I know," he murmured softly, and let me cry into his shirt. Eventually, my tears dried up and I was left with a terrible headache. Bruce let go of me and stood up.

"You should get some sleep," he advised. "No doubt it's been a long day." He turned and left, leaving the door open slightly. I was left staring after him.

"You have no idea," I whispered to myself.

000

K, so…. Before anyone asks, Farscape is a TV show from like, 1995 or something. It's actually pretty good. But yeah, any ways. Review! Srsly guys, srsly. Guys.


	8. Coney Island

I apologize for my lack of medical knowledge in the last chapter. And I would like to apologize in advance for my complete lack of knowledge on Coney Island. Also, I've been really busy so sorry it took so long to write and post this chapter.

Disclaimer! I own Diana, but nothing else.

000

"What happened to your hand?" Clint asked me the next morning. We were all sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast when Clint decided to break the uncomfortable silence. But no doubt that it was what everyone was thinking. I glanced down at my gauze wrapped right hand, then up at him.

"I accidently cut it. I had to go to the emergency room," I explained. Clint's face brightened like a kid's on Christmas.

"Did you get stiches?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes," I replied warily, leaning away from him. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

"Can I see?" He asked, his voice rising to a squeal on the 'ee'. I laughed and started unwrapping my hand.

"Yeah sure." I showed him the eight stiches on my palm and he made a face.

"I forget why I even wanted to see," he muttered, sticking his tongue out. I rewrapped my hand and turned back to my breakfast. After a moment of peaceful silence, it was interrupted by Tony bursting through the doors shouting and waving his arms. Bruce entered a few seconds later yelling as well.

"Get it off!" Tony yelled frantically.

"I would if you would hold still!" Bruce yelled, swatting at his friend's back.

"It's gonna bite me," Tony squealed. "It's crawling into my shirt!"

"Then take it off!" Tony grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it off over his head. The rest of us watched in horrified fascination as Tony threw his discarded shirt on the floor and stepped on it. He turned to us, chest heaving. He put on hand on his hip and looked at us.

"So," he sighed. "What's up?"

"What was that all about?" Clint asked, staring at the discarded shirt on the floor.

"Oh," Tony sighed, batting a hand and acting like he hadn't just shrieked like a little girl. "One of our experiments got spilled into Bruce's terrarium. Which was totally not my fault, by the way." Tony shot a glance at Bruce, who rolled his eyes.

"What was in the terrarium?" Darcy asked curiously.

"Black widows," Bruce replied, bending down to pick up Tony's shirt. I shuddered and glared at the two scientists.

"If I find any spiders in my room, I'm coming for you two," I pointed at Bruce and Tony in turn, glaring.

"Don't worry," Tony said in a placating tone of voice, raisin his hands. "We contained the situation."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Bruce accused. "I closed the cage!"

"No, I said I was going to close the cage, and then one of them crawled up my arm and onto my shirt…." Tony trailed off and a look of horror crossed his face. "Oh dear."

"What?" Steve asked, frowning.

"The cage didn't get closed." Bruce sighed and ran a hand down his face. Tony bolted out of the room and returned a few minutes later, panting.

"The cage is empty. They got out."

"Oh you guys suck!" I complained and pulled my legs up onto my chair. "I hate spiders!"

"I'll call the exterminator," Natasha offered, pulling out her phone.

"Please do," Pepper said from her spot at the head of the table. "But while they're here, we have to get out of the tower."

"I'm not moving from my spot," I said. "They could be anywhere, and I refuse to take the chance of finding one."

"What if I find one and shove it in your face," Clint taunted, grinning.

"Then I will break your arm."

"Wait, what exactly did you spill into the cage," Natasha interrupted.

"Um," Tony rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Well, it was kind of this one thing that allowed animals to breed faster and have a faster development. We were making it to see if we could make endangered species not so endangered anymore."

"I really hate you," I said, shifting in my seat and glaring at them. "There's gonna be a lot of little baby spiders running around here really soon, isn't there?"

"Probably," Bruce confirmed.

"I am so getting my own place. I can't handle another experiment gone wrong."

"Hey, that thing with the Blob wasn't our fault," Tony said, pointing at me. "It was Clint who mixed those chemicals without adult supervision."

"Hey!" Pepper said, slamming her hand on the table before we could get any further. "Natasha has scheduled for an exterminator to come, but we have to clear out of the tower so he can do his job. Does anyone have a suggestion of what we could do?"

"We could go to a club," Clint offered, but was quickly shot down.

"Its 9:00 Barton."

"We could go to Liberty island again," Steve said hopefully. There was a collective shudder throughout the room and Clint gagged.

"Never again," He whispered, staring off into space.

"Do you have any better suggestions?" Steve shot back, glaring at Clint. "It wasn't that bad!"

"You almost sold me and Natasha into prostitution!" Clint cried incredulously, jabbing a finger at Steve. "You can't tell me that's not bad!"

"Well I didn't know," Steve grumbled, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders.

"I have a suggestion," I blurted before the argument could progress.

"Yes, thank you Diana." Pepper glanced gratefully at me.

"How about we go to Coney Island? They have amusement parks and stuff. We could have a good time."

"Hey, yeah!" Darcy said excitedly. "I haven't been to Coney Island in ages."

"That would be fun," Tony said. "I really want to go on the Cyclone."

"Great, it's decided." Pepper looked around at us. "Coney island."

000

"I am so going on the Cyclone," I said as we paid the entrance fee to get in.

"Oh really?" Clint asked, staring me down as we walked through the park.

"Yeah," I replied. "Are you going to ride it?"

Clint scoffed. "Duh. It's, like, the best ride here!"

"How many times are you going to go on it?" I leaned in close how him and stopped walking, staring him in the eyes.

"I don't know." He leaned back. "Are you going to dare me?"

"Yes, I dare you to go on it twelve times in a row."

"What?!" He gaped at me. "No way, not unless I get something out of it."

"Are you scared?" I teased poking him in the chest.

"What, pfft no," he blustered. "Fine I'll do it." I smirked at him, and then hurried to catch up to the group when I realized they had gotten ahead.

"But you have to come with me," Clint added once he was next to me again.

"Okay," I smirked and stuck my tongue out at him. I turned to the team and said, "Hey, Clint and I are going to go ride to Cyclone twelve times. Don't wait up." Then we turned and ran off in the popular roller coasters direction, laughing. We stopped at the back of the long line, laughing with barely contained excitement.

"You're so not going to go on it all twelve times," Clint said pushing me playfully.

"Oh yeah? Well, neither are you!" I shoved him back and he stumbled into the lady in front of us. She turned around, glaring. When she saw Clint however, her eyes widened and a slow, slightly maniac smile spread across her face.

"Oh my gosh, you're like, totally one of the Avengers!" She squealed, flapping her hands and jumping up and down. I peeked out from behind Clint's shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, so am I," I said, a little miffed, but she didn't seem to hear me, or even see me. She continued bouncing and drawing attention until we were surrounded by fans, mostly girls. Eventually, one of the girls noticed me and scowled.

"Um, hello, who is she?" Clint froze, then wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. I stiffened up, glaring at him.

"This is my girlfriend," he said, beaming. All of the girls pouted and frowned and one even started to cry, but they all turned and left us alone. Once no one was looking at us, Clint let me go and I took a step away from him.

"What the hell Clint?" I snapped. "Not cool!"

"I didn't have a choice," he protested. The line started moving now, and we walked forward. "It was either pretend I had a girlfriend, or get mauled by fangirls."

"Natasha's going to kill you," I said simply as I walked.

"Only if she finds out," Clint said hopefully.

"She's an assassin slash spy, she'll figure it out."

"Then in that case, you're dead too," he pointed out.

I shrugged. "Probably."

"How are you that okay with it?" Clint asked as we got to the front of the line and stopped.

I shrugged. "Maybe I'm not just a wimp."

"What!" Clint scoffed as we walked down to our seats. "So not true!"

I leaned closer to him and said, "Then complete the bet." Then the ride lurched to a start.

After the first three times, we were a little woozy. After the sixth time, Clint was leaning on the wall and I was leaning on him. After the eight time, I couldn't walk and Clint was about to throw up. We tried to go twelve for twelve, but it was clear that wasn't going to happen when neither of us could walk in a straight line. The whole process took about an hour and a half, and the team had all gotten to do something they wanted except for me and Clint. But that was okay, because now Clint owed me a favor. Speaking of Clint, where was he? I looked up from my hands and found him talking to the team who had come up from who knows where.

"And so now I owe her a favor or something," he said, waving his hands and rolling his eyes. I walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Fear not my friend," I said crossing my arms. "I only want you to pay for drinks tonight." Tony cheered quietly and Pepper shot him a look.

"What? I'm cheering because we're going out for drinks, not because I don't have to pay."

000

"This place is great, you'll love it," Tony said loudly over the noise of the club. He pushed a path between the crowd of people and we followed him uncertainly. Most people turned to glare and yell at us, but they stopped when they saw who we were. Except for me, no one recognized me.

"I thought we were supposed to wait in a line," Steve asked, shying away from a seedy woman in nothing but I micro mini skirt and bra.

"Not when you're me, or with me." Tony made it up to the front of the long line and the bouncer immediately let him in. inside the club was almost more crowded than the outside and Clint shouted,

"Buddy system!" he received a few odd looks from people around him, but he just smirked at them all and continued following Tony. The path he took us on was long and winding, and we often had to avoid women (and some men) throwing themselves at us. But eventually we made to the very back of the bar where a tall, heavily muscled and tattooed man in a black tank top stood. He grinned at Tony and slapped him on the back.  
"Good day Mr. Stark." His voice was thick with a distinctive Russian accent. HE stepped aside an pushed open a door that led to a staircase that spiraled down. Tony nodded and started trotting down the steps, Pepper following behind.

"Well come on," She said, stopping and looking back at us. "I've been here before; it's a really nice place." Clint stuck out his chin and followed, testing each step before putting his foot down. Natasha rolled her eyes and went next.

I went next, and blinked at the complete transformation from racy club to nice quiet slightly homey bar. Warm honey light was washed over the over the room and it was decorated with browns, reds, and greens. It was a _bar_, like the kind you see in TV shows. There were a few people at the bar, but most were in the booths or at tables, talking and laughing. There was a small stage with a microphone and a man was sitting on a stool singing and strumming a guitar. Tony was already leaning on the counter ordering beers for everyone and under the name of "Barton." I heard Bruce, Steve and Darcy come down the stairs and look around the room, then shrug and go sit down at a booth. I followed, and Tony came over carting drinks. He set them on the table and sat down heavily.

"Here, I brought drinks, as was requested." Everyone grabbed a bottle of beer gratefully, except Clint; he just looked depressed that he had to pay.

"No one requested drinks," Steve said, twisting the cap off of his.

"No but it was implied." Tony took a swig of beer. "So, since none of us has any social skills, except for me of course, I assume we're just going to sit here awkwardly in silence?"

"We have social skills!" I said, mildly offended.

"Really?" Tony shot me a look of disbelief. "The only time we pretty much go outside is when we go on missions. Sure, Steve runs in the Park and helps Pepper with the shopping, and Natasha and Clint go to a gym or something, but we hardly go outside at all!"

"Your point?" Bruce asked, staring at Tony. He shrugged and leaned back into his seat.

"Not going outside means we don't talk to people, and that means our social skills are rusty."

"You included yourself," I noticed, not really paying attention to the conversation.

"It was for convenience only," Tony replied quickly. "I didn't mean it."

"Nice recovery," I smirked at him and winked. He glowered for a second, but he then got back on topic.

"But really, my point is, I don't want to sit here with a group of people who will just sit and be quiet."

"Uh, hello," Darcy waved a hand. "I'm not quiet, and I have a social life."

"That's true," Tony leaned forward and stared at her seriously. "But are you willing to prove it?"

"Prove it how?"

"Go up on stage and sing us a song."

"How is that supposed to prove I have a social life?" She cried.

"I dunno, I'm just bored and want to see someone sing. That guy in the corner is too quiet."

"Well you can forget it, cause there is no way I'm singing in front of a bunch of strangers." Darcy shook her head.

"I'll do it." I spoke up suddenly. The words just slipped out of my mouth without even meaning to. Tony glanced at me.

"But you've never sung before," He said, confused.

"Sure I have," I said, then stood up and walked over to the man with the guitar, who was now tuning it and rubbing his sore fingers. He looked up at me as I approached.

"Can I help you?" He was about twenty seven, mousy brown hair and a short hardly noticeable beard.

"Yes do you know how to play 'I Hate Everything About You' by Three Days Grace?"

He grinned. "Yeah, of course! It's my favorite song; first one I learned how to play on the guitar."

"Can you play it for me, and also, may I add the vocals?"

He shrugged uncertainly. "I usually don't take requests. Or let others voice the songs."

"Tell you what," I leaned one elbow on the stool and smiled pleasantly at him. "You play a song and let me sing, and I'll pay for your next round of drinks. You, and anybody you might have brought along." He brightened at that and held out a hand.

"Flash deal." I grabbed his hand and shook it once. The man pulled the stool to the side so I could stand in front of the microphone. He flipped the switch on his amplifier to 'on'. He pulled the mic over to his side and tapped it to get people's attention. Not many people actually cared enough to look, but my whole team was watching.

"My friend her," he motioned to me. "Would like to sing you a song." He pointed to himself. "I'll be playing the guitar to accompany her." He put a small machine and fiddled around with the buttons for a moment, then a slow beat started up and he started picking the intro and I took my cue when the time came.

"Every time we lie awake

After every hit we take

Every feeling that I get

But I haven't missed you yet

Every roommate kept awake

By every sigh and scream we make

All the feelings that I get

But I still don't miss you yet

Only when I stop to think about it." I could feel my face flush slightly as people turned around in their seats to look at me. I shut my eyes and gripped the mic tighter, but my voice didn't waver or break. And I made it through the entire song without a single hitch. I was less harsh on the 'I hate everything about you's', and such, but I thought it just made me sound better. I could also see it on the faces of the people in the bar, and as the final chord was struck, i looked down at the guitarist, who gave me a grin and a big thumbs up.

"You did awesome!" he breathed, setting his guitar down and standing. "would you do another song with me?"

I took a breath and let go of the microphone. "Sorry, but no. I'll go pay for your drink now, though." I pulled out my wallet and slapped two fifties into his hand, then turned and walked away quickly. As I neared my table, where all of my friends were waiting with smiles, I bit my lip and walked right past them, opting for a spot on the corner of the bar. The bartender looked at me expectantly as he cleaned a glass.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, setting the glass down.

"Uh, no thanks." I brushed away a strand of hair and the bartender shrugged irritably. Since I didn't have my attention wasn't on anything else at the moment, my thoughts strayed to Asgard and Loki. I sighed and called the bartender over. "On second thought, give me a scotch on rocks. And add a twist." I downed the glass as soon as he set it in front of me.

"Another," I sighed as I felt the alcohol burn its way down my throat.

000

I threw my jacket on my bed and slumped into a chair. After getting significantly drunk, I had stumbled home, leaving my friends and teammates at the bar. Jarvis didn't make a comment on my current condition, bless him, but I could tell he disapproved. I was about to fall asleep when a gust of air that came in from my balcony made my blue curtains flap and blew a stack of papers of my desk. I must have left the balcony door open this morning before I went down for breakfast. Groaning, I heaved myself up and stumbled drunkenly over to shut the stupid door, when a dark blue shape leaning on the railing of the balcony caught my attention. I knew who it was. I pulled the curtains aside and stepped out into the night air.

"Whadda you want?" I slurred, walking forward to stand slightly behind Loki.

"You know," he replied, not looking at me. I didn't reply, so he continued. "I know why you're mad at me, and I can explain."

"No you don't, and no you can't."

He turned to face me. "Let me try!" he pleaded, looking right at me.

"No."

He sighed. "I figured. I'll go now. I hardly had any time here anyways."

"I didn't say you had to leave," I said, chewing on my lip.

"You never said I could stay, either."

"Good point." I took another few steps until I was standing next to him, looking out over New York. He was facing me, but I was steadily ignoring him. I could smell alcohol on him and I could tell he had spent the night in a bar, same as I had.

"Why are you here?" I asked after a minute.

"Technically, I'm not supposed to be here. But what Thor and my father know won't hurt them, right?"

Finally, I turned to face him, tears brimming in my eyes. "Do you know how much you hurt me?" my speech was quiet and halting. It could have been formidable, if not for the ears in my eyes.

"Listen I-" but he never got to finish, because I took a step forward and pressed his lips to mine, and then pulled him into my room.

000

Oh how I love to put my people in difficult situations**. OK IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**! So, once more, sorry for the long update, but bear with me here. This is about to get really good, so just wait, K? also, I'm working on a sequel called Blue Fire, and I promise that it will be really good because I'm getting help with it. so keep a look out for it, it's the third in this series, and the last one, but I will be doing a series of short oneshots. I just need a decent name, so please REVIEW!


	9. Were you my friends?

Disclaimer! I own Diana, nothing else. Marvel owns them, not me. I also don't own Isaac Clarke or Dead Space. Sadly. And sorry for the delay, I've been pretty distracted, with school and all.

000

I don't remember much about that night, or the morning, considering my massive hangover. But I do remember the sound of shifting sheets; seeing the dim shape of a person moving about my room, probably collecting clothes; the soft brush of a hand on my cheek and the whispered words: "I want to stay, I want to stay with you so badly, but you don't want me here. You would be happier by yourself, so I will go." After that, it's just a blank nothingness.

I yawned and stretched as soft grey light filtered through my curtains and onto my face. I could feel the cold air chilling my skin and I shivered. I glanced over to my balcony to see the door opened, so it was no mystery as to why my room was so cold. I pulled my legs over the edge of the bed and wrapped the sheet around me like a towel. I wrapped to long train around my waist and tied it, not wanting to let it drag all over the place. I wandered down the hall and into the kitchen, hoping to be by myself for a while, only to see Darcy sitting on one of the bar stools with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands.

"Hi," I whispered, not wanting to make any noise. Darcy jumped and turned to face me. The surprise on her face melted, and was replaced with irritation.

"What happened to you last night?" her eyes narrowed accusingly. I shuffled over and sat next to her.

"Nothing happened." I shrugged, and then slumped in my chair. "What time is it?" I asked, yawning.

"Five thirty," she answered causally. "Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?" I nodded, and then rested my chin on my arm.

"Why are you wearing a sheet?" she asked as she moved around the kitchen, getting coffee grounds out and boiling the water.

"Cause I didn't want to get dressed," I replied hoarsely.

Darcy nodded as if that totally made sense, and continued to prepare coffee. When she was done, she set the up in front of me and sat down. Then she turned to face me, a serous expression etched on her face.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she asked, placing her hand over mine.

"'Course I do," I replied after I had taken a drink. "It's not the telling I have an issue with, it's your reaction I worry about."

Darcy's eyes widened. "So something did happen then?"

I sighed and placed my mug on the cool marble counter. "Yes, Darcy. Your powers of perception are astounding."

She ignored my jibe and tightened her grip on my hand. "What happened?"

"Darce," I warned, already knowing I wouldn't win the argument.

"Tell me," she wheedled, shaking my arm.

"What if I don't want to?" I sighed, casting a despairing glance in her direction.

"Diana," she commanded. "Tell me."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face her fully, holding my coffee cup in my lap. I squashed the queasy feeling in my stomach down and took a breath.

"I… I made a mistake."

"What kind?" my friend asked, her voice softening.

"The catastrophically life changing one," I replied glumly.

"What did you do?" she asked, putting a hand on my arm.

There was a moment of awkward silence before I finally whispered, "I slept with Loki." I dared not look my friend in the face, fearing the look in her eyes. I heard her suck in a deep breath and I quickly clapped my hand over her mouth.

"Please don't," I pleaded. "Please don't tell anyone." Darcy shook her head and I let my hand fall to my lap.

"When?" she asked, sounding a little subdued.

"Which time?" I asked running a hand through my hair.

"You slept with him more than once?" she nearly shrieked. I hissed in annoyance and she covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry," she murmured, the sound muffled from her hands.

"Yes," I answered after a moment. "Once on Asgard, and then… Last night."

"What are you going to do about it?" Darcy asked, draining her mug of coffee.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Well," she reasoned. "What about Tony and Thor. And what if we go back to Asgard again? What will you do?"

"Well first, I'm not going to tell Tony, because he'd kill me. I'm adding Fury and Thor to that list too, but since Thor and Jane are honeymooning in Asgard, I don't have to worry about him. And if we ever go back to Asgard, I'll stay away from alcohol and Loki."

"Okay." Darcy turned away from me, and I turned away from her. "I promise I won't tell. Anybody" she added as an afterthought.

"Thanks," I replied, truly grateful.

000

"Heyyyyyyyyyy!" Clint cheered from the couch as Bruce and Tony walked into the commons area, hair messy and shirts scorched. "Look who's joined the party!" He was drunk, very, very drunk. Natasha slapped him upside the head with the book she was reading, and he turned to her with a hurt look.

"What's that for Tasha?" he whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's not a party, it was supposed to be team night," she snapped. "Until YOU got bored waiting and decided to bring out the Jell-O shots you had made. And then Steve went and got beer and you got drunk." She shot a glare at Steve who was sitting on the other side of the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

Steve noticed her stare and blushed and hunched his shoulders in an awkward shrug. "Jell-O shots aren't really my style…" she said weakly, and Tony burst out laughing.

"And you're all about style then, Steve?" Tony wiped his eye, shoulders shanking. "How ironic." Tony and Bruce joined the team on the couch, laughing and messing around with Clint, who was too drunk to stand.

I watched all of this from the barstools by the counter top. Natasha noticed me and become me over.

"Come on Diana it's team night. You're supposed to be having fun."

"Yeah, okay. Give me a second." Ever since my talk with Darcy, I had been quiet and subdued. That was a six in the morning, and now it was nine o' clock at night. The sun was setting and casting a golden glow over everything in the room and over the New York skyline. In a few minutes, Jarvis' timers would come on and the lights in the room would turn on, eliminating the natural light.

"Hey, you okay?" I wasn't even startled to hear Natasha beside me."

"Yeah, just," I stared out the huge window that made up one of the walls in the common room. "Just watching the sunset."

"You've been awfully quiet today. Mind telling me what's on your mind?" Natasha pulled out the stool next to me and sat down.

"Nothing's on my mind." I laughed, forcing myself out of my stupor and putting on a happy façade. Natasha's eyes narrowed, but she couldn't break though my mask. She, The Black Widow, master assassin and expertly trained spy, trained to hide her feelings and show no emotion, had trained me, and I was just as good as her.

"If you say so." I looked like she was about to say more, but Pepper and Darcy entered the room, cutting off anything she might have said.

"The life of the party is here," Darcy sang, throwing a hand in the air and bowing. Her other hand was behind her back

"Psh, gurl," Clint and Tony scoffed. "Were where the party's at."

"Not when you don't bring this," Darcy grinned and pulled a bottle of fine Russian vodka out from behind her back.

"Yay!" Clint squealed (yes he really squealed) and waved his arms in the air. "Vodka!" Tony rolled his eyes and pushed his best friend in the chest, making him fall off the couch.

"Tony," Steve scolded from the opposite end of the couch.

"What?" Tony laughed. "He's okay!" As if to prove a point, Clint's head popped up and he grinned.

000

"Okay, okay," Darcy slurred, taking a swig from the bottle of vodka, almost gone now. The Avengers and Darcy were sitting around in a circle on the floor, passing around the bottle and telling stories. Pepper had left about an hour ago, but that only made Tony able to drink more, since his girlfriend wasn't here to monitor him.

"What is the coolest thing you've ever done? Y'know, as Avengers 'nd all."

Clint raised his hand and waved it around, trying not to laugh, and Natasha rolled her eyes, knowing what was next.

"So one time, there was this bad guy who was infected with this weird virus that made him impervious to pain, so he was crawling along the ground with like, no legs, and I was like, 'Nat what do I do?' and she was like, 'I don't know, Isaac Clarke that bitch,' and I was like, 'What?' and then she said, 'Curb stomp that bastard,' so I did an he died." Clint giggled, then hiccupped, which only made him laugh harder.

The inebriated superheroes looked around at each other, having realized that being extremely drunk on vodka mad Clint act like a teenage girl.

"Okkkaaaayyyy," Tony shook his head and turned away from his friend.

"You want stories, then? I'll give you stories." Tony grinned lazily and cracked his knuckles, preparing to tell what he thought would be the best story in history.

"So, about a month after the New York incident, Clint and I when out to go to a bar, get a few drinks. Well, we got waaaay more drunk than we thought, and when we wake up the next morning, we're in Vegas with some weird drag queen next to us, and then we realize we're in a dumpster next to this grungy little bar.

"So, we get out of this nasty dumpster, and we're trying to figure out where the hell in Vegas we are, and we smell terrible and look horrible, and our heads are killing us. We're in no shape to ask directions, can you imagine what people would think?"

Natasha interrupted him with a small snort and roll of her eyes. "Is this when you came back after two nights smelling like a porta potty and looking like you had dumpster dived n a landfill?"

"Yes," Tony growled. "No let me continue." He shot her a venomous look, but turned back to his rapt audience.

"So ANYWAY, we're looking around this alley way, and we hear something moving in the dumpster, and Clint totally freaked out, screaming like a little girl, and then this Drag Queen crawls out of the trash looking pitiful, and then we realize it's just Thor in a dress and a wig, so we start laughing hysterically. Of course he takes offense at this, so he summons Mjolnir from and starts chasing us through the streets of Las Vegas yelling at us.

"And obviously attract attention, and this horde of fangirls starts chasing us too, and suddenly, Thor is running with us trying to escape the mass of fans, and I swear, one of them tried to propose to me…"

I leaned back against the couch, grinning, and zoning Tony out. I wasn't as drunk as Tony, Clint or Darcy, but I was pretty sauced. Steve and Bruce were the only ones not even a little bit drunk, and they were sitting next to each other, listening to Tony's story with a bored expression.

"… And then one of the women is screaming at me for not remembering her, and I had never seen her in my life, I swear, so she pulls this phone out and shows me a picture where she has obviously photo shopped herself into, and I was like, 'Lady, I think you gotta be on Medication.' And she gets pissed. Like, really mad, and she was screaming at me and Clint here, saying how we should consider ourselves lucky to have slept with her, the most important person in the world and…,"

Tony was abruptly cut off as Darcy gasped loudly, then let loose a slightly diabolical grin.

"Well if you wanna hear 'bout sleeping with the most important person in the world, you should talk to Diana here," Darcy grinned and jabbed her finger at me.

"Darcy," I snapped, glancing uneasily at my team.

"What's she talking about?" Tony asked, sounding a little bit more sober and serious.

"Well go on, Di." Darcy encouraged. "Tell 'em how you slept with Loki. It would make one hell of a story!" She cackled and fell back, not realizing what she had done.

"What the hell Darcy?" I shouted, standing up quickly and glaring at her.

"What?" She asked, sounding a little worried.

"Is this true?" Steve asked, standing as well and crossing his arms.

"Well, it isn't not true," I grimaced and he glared at me.

"When did this happen?" Tony asked, sounding a little angry.

"On Asgard," I sighed, defeated.

"Diana!" Tony bolted up and stared me in the eye. "I told you to stay away from him! But you went ahead and disobeyed me in the worst way possible!"

"Well newsflash, genius," I took a step forward, ignoring the looks I was getting. "You're. Not. My. Father! You can't tell me what to do, I'm a grown woman, and I make my own choices, no matter how stupid they may be!"

Tony took a step back and glowered at me, but I could see the hurt in his eyes, and I regretted what I had said almost immediately.

"I was a dumb kid when I was your age, but I never did something that stupid." This surprisingly came from Bruce. I whirled to face him, sparks jumping off of me.

"You aren't allowed to judge me on my choices," I snapped. "You're supposed to be my family, my teammates. I should trust you to comfort me when I've done wrong." All anger faded from my voice, and the fire in my eyes died. "And all you do is judge. I thought you were my friends."

I then turned on my heel and stomped to the elevator. Just before the door closed, I pulled my phone out and threw it on the floor, shattering it. "Don't try to follow me."

000

I wandered the streets, wiping my eyes occasionally and then shoving my hands back in my pockets. Few people paid me any attention, except for when they came to close and a stray spark jumped off me and they got a small shock.

"Stupid team," I muttered, turning down an alley. Probably a bad idea in retrospect, but I didn't know that at the time.

"They were so unfair!" I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to punch the wall. "I was drunk, not like it was my fault. At least they didn't know about the second time." I shook my head and kept walking. I could hear laughing and two more sets of footsteps from behind me, but I paid them no mind. Probably just a couple out for a night on the town.

The footsteps behind me quickened their pace, so I started walking faster myself. Only when they increased to a sprint did I start to run myself, fearing for my safety. I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my middle and I crashed to the ground, my head smacking on the hard pavement below me.

"Get off me!" I snapped, but a cloth was pressed firmly to my mouth and nose. I panicked and forced myself not to breathe in, but my lungs gave out and I inhaled. I was hoisted over a shoulder and I could hear the triumphant laugh of a woman as I was carried away. And then everything went dark.

00

Yep. Please review. It's really late now, and my back is killing me, and my cousins are here, so I'm not allowed to watch Markiplier ( cause he's vulgar I hear.) and he's pretty much my inspiration as I write. Again, REVIEW PLEASE! You get a cookie if you do ;D


	10. Don't cry, Love

GAHHHHH! I'm so sorry! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long, and school just started like a week ago, and I've been watching Markiplier (squee!) and- *head explodes*

So, as I write this, I'm watching Pirates of the Caribbean for the second time this week, and I I'll try my hardest not to get distracted. But I'm writing a PotC fic soon, and I need to be able to channel Jack. OK, so yeah. School, and work, and I really don't have any excuse, so yeah 0-0 you guys can count on at least three more chapters, a sequel, and a new story idea that popped into my head earlier today. _**WARNING!**_ This chapter is a little dark I guess, it contains things. I won't ruin it, but if you're 11 or under, you probably shouldn't read. Given that I just said this, you're going to disregard what I said, and read anyway, so ENJOY! : )

Disclaimer- I own my OC Diana, but nothing else.

000

My head ached dully, and my eyes were crusted shut. I couldn't feel my arms, except for a sharp ache in my wrists. I could hear voices around me, but it felt like I was hearing everything through a layer of cotton. I grunted and tried to shift my arms, and get some feel back into them, but I felt a sharp prick in my arm, and my ears popped and cleared.

"Open your eyes," a sharp voice ordered me, slapping my cheek roughly. I whimpered and tried to move my head away from the smack, but a strong hand gripped my chin firmly and wrenched it back.

"Open your eyes," the voice growled, tightening their grip on my chin. My eyes fluttered open, but I squeezed them shut almost immediately as the harsh white light that I hadn't noticed stung my eyes.

"I can't," I whispered thickly, forcing my tongue to form the words.

"Fischer, the lights," someone snapped, and I could see the light dim from behind my eyelids. I opened them slowly, still wincing at the harshness, but my eyes adjusted soon. My arms were chained above me, which explained why I couldn't feel them, and my ankles were tied together. I glanced around the room, but there really wasn't that much to take in.

There was a white tile floor with a drain in the center, concrete walls, and a stainless steel table on the left, which was covered with a white cloth. I shuddered to think what was beneath it. I dragged my gaze away from the table as someone snapped their fingers to gain my attention. There were three people in the room, all of them men. Two were thin, bald, and had thick glasses and medical clip boards, but the third was tall and thick, with a meaty neck and steel grey hair in a crew cut. He had a black leather jacket and gloves, along with tight stained jeans.

"Who are you?" I whispered hoarsely, before the man backhanded me and my head whipped to the left, cheek stinging. One of the doctors frowned, and scribbled something down on his clipboard.

"You're not asking the questions, girlie." The man cracked his knuckles.

"Only the Mistress asks the questions."

I started to ask who the Mistress was, but I stopped myself, not wanting to receive any more punishment.

"Until such time as the Mistress arrives, she said I get to have my way with you." The Man grinned darkly, and he motioned for the doctors to leave.

My blood chilled and a tear slipped down my cheek as the Man descended upon me.

000

"Come on, girlie, keep your head up," the Man snapped, taking a handful of fine grain iodized sea slay, and grinding it into the cuts he had made on my fingertips. I jerked against my bonds and moaned with pain, tasting the blood running down my throat. This had been going on for days. Every day, this person, who I had come to think of as the Man, would come in, cut and mutilate my body, and rub salt in the open wounds. I had been changed out of my clothes, and instead given a small, bikini like top and bottom, made out of black leather. The sleeves on the top went down to about my elbows, which still gave the Man more than enough room to hurt me. Every day, they force fed me a pill that mute my powers, and made me defenseless. The pill also made me weak, not strong enough to use the hand to hand Natasha had taught me.

I winced at the thought of Natasha. I had no idea how long this had been going on. Weeks? Days? It was impossible to tell, considering I was only allowed a few hours' sleep at a time, and there were no windows in my prison. I was sure two fingers on my right hand were broken, and I had a hairline fracture in my shin, as it hurt to even touch. Every few torture sessions, the Man would release my bonds, and I would collapse to floor, crying silently and nursing my wounds. My long black hair was matted with blood, salt and other substances the Man had used to torture me.

I was jolted out of my reverie as I felt the cold sting of sharpened steel sliding through the flesh in my forearm. Hot pulsing blood welled up and spilled down my arm and into my hair and face. I cried out, and received a smack as punishment. Any noise was not tolerated. I almost bit through my tongue as he took a vial of lemon juice and smeared it into the wound.

"You're lucky I don't do worse," he chuckled as I squirmed, eyes trailing down my exposed body.

"Please," I sobbed. "Just let me go!"

The Man's eyes narrowed and he grabbed a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head back to look him in the eye.

"What did I tell you about talking?" he asked harshly, slapping a healing wound on my leg. I winced, and tried to jerk my leg away, but the bonds chaining me to the wall held me there.

"Not to speak unless spoken to," I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks. His dirty fingernails dug into the cut and I screamed.

"That's better." He let go of me, and wandered over to the table, where he picked up a key. He unlocked the chains holding my ankles, and then my arms and I slumped to my knees, cradling my wrists, which had been rubbed raw from the shackles. I felt a jolt in my side, and I skidded across the floor, smearing blood across the white tile. I gripped my ribs, sore from being kicked so hard.

"The Mistress is coming back today. She's very excited to meet you, so you better clean yourself up." He turned to the table and picked up a roll of bandages and antiseptic. He threw them at me and they skidded to a stop just shy of me.

"Fischer will be in if you need help. Ta ta!" He strode out the doors and I stared after him in shock. He never left me alone in the room unchained. I then heard four heavy deadbolts slide across the door, locking me in. I shook my head weakly and reached out to grasp the bottle of antiseptic. I poured some on a bandage, and began to clean my wounds.

000

"It's been four days Tony!" Pepper yelled, pacing back and forth across the living room, with a hand clamped around her mouth. "No news of her, no sightings, nothing!"

Tony nodded sadly and went to fold his girlfriend into his arms, feeling her shoulders shake.

"I know Pep," he said softly. "But we have Natasha, and Clint, and even Steve s doing what he can. Bruce and I are trying to find any sign of her, and I've set Jarvis to find any traces of her anywhere. They're looking for her I promise."

"It's your entire fault," She sobbed. "It's your fault Diana left." Tony's arms tightened around her, but he didn't deny it.

"I know. I didn't… I should have…" he sighed. "We'll find her. We have too." He understood why Pepper was so upset. Diana was like a daughter to them, even if they would never admit it.

"Sir." Jarvis interrupted the tender comforting moment between them.

"What?" Tony sighed again, releasing Pepper.

"I have found traces of blood in an alleyway about three miles from here. It matched Miss Diana's DNA signature."

Tony's eyes widened and he scrambled to call the rest of his team. "Guys, Jarvis found-!" he was cut off as Steve interrupted.

"We know, we're on our way. Jarvis just informed us." Steve then ended the call and Tony rushed to get his suit on.

000

Six people, the Avengers, the Mightiest heroes, stood in a dark alleyway, staring at the ground. The sky above was pinpointed with faint white light, and the New York skyline rose above them.

"You're sure?" Clint asked Tony, staring at the dark stain on the ground, eyes stinging.

"It's her blood," the billionaire confirmed, voice tight. "Matches her DNA."

"So she's really dead…" Natasha whispered, staring at the large puddle of dried blood, and rumpled, bloodied clothing. There was a rag poorly hidden nearby, which had been soaked in chloroform, and had a few specks of blood.

"Looks that way."

Pepper fisted her hand in her skirt and bit her lip, looking away. "She could still be alive," she said desperately, hoping.

"Pepper, the human body only has about ten liters of blood in it," Bruce reasoned. "Humans cannot survive if they lose more than nine and a half. It looks like she was attacked, and was mortally wounded before she could use her powers. The killer then dragged her body off somewhere, it looks like."

"Then," Clint shook his head. "What now?"

"We move on," Steve said sadly. "We have a funeral. Nothing too big, she wouldn't have liked that."

"Right." Tony agreed, and the faceplate flipped up to cover his face.

000

Diana grunted with pain was she washed the salt out of her wounds. A few of the wounds were infected, making it hell to clean, but she knew that if she didn't, she would be punished.

"Must look nice for the Mistress," she growled, running a rag down her thing to wipe away blood. She hissed as her fingernail scraped the raw edges of the wound.

"Goddamn Mistress, don't what she want with _me_!_"_

Another swipe.

"I'm the damn precious to her Golem," she grits her teeth again, and then decided it was clean enough and wrapped a bandage around it.

"You know what I really want right now?" she asked herself, starting to clean again. "I want to sit in a dark room all by myself and watch movies, and eat unhealthy crap, and not be here! And most of all, I want to stop talking to my damn self!" she threw the rag to the ground, making a sickening splat as it hit the floor. Tears welled in her eyes and she drew her knees up to her chest. Burying her head in her lap, she began to cry.

"Don't cry," a soft, motherly voice said, somewhere from within the dark.

"Go away," she sniffed.

"I'm here to help. I really should tell Isaac to lighten up when he does my dirty work; I would never resort to this." Diana felt gentle fingers wrap around her ankle, and she extended her leg. A clean warm rag began to wash her injuries. She looked up to see a woman in her fifties with white blonde hair washing the cuts and bandaging them. This woman had sent the Man, Isaac, to do her dirty work, the Mistress had even said. If this woman had wanted Diana tortured, she certainly wouldn't tend to her.

"You're not really here," Dian whispered, frightened.

"Of course I am, Love."

"No. if you wanted me safe, you wouldn't have sent that man to 'take care of me'. Q.E.D., you aren't really here."

"Oh dear," the Mistress sat back on her heels. "It's been too long, hasn't it? You've begun to see things, and hear people, haven't you?"

Diana nodded, pulling her leg back.

"What did you see?"

"I… I saw," Diana stopped and cast her eyes down. "I just thought I saw someone who could save me."

"_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow," I spat angrily. "Yeah, well guess what Mr. Passenger, it's not snowing I miss the sun all the same." I paced back and forth, blood dripping down my legs and arms. _

"_Stupid team," I hissed, knocking over the steel table that sat in the corner. "Stupid Loki." I clenched my fists, blood squeezing out from between my fingers. _

"_You offend me, I'm far from stupid." _

_I froze. "You're not here," I said calmly, voice not betraying my fear._

"_I assure you, Love, I am." _

_I whirled to face Loki, who was leaning against the wall with an apple in his hand. He had a smug grin on his face. _

"_Prove it." _

_A look of annoyance crossed his features, but he quickly dismissed it. _

"_You should know your beau when you see him." _

"_You're not my beau," I said, disgusted. He took a step closer to me, and I took one away._

"_Am I not?" He looked down at himself. "I think I am. After all, two flings in less than two weeks must be a record for you or me." He twisted the apple in his hands thoughtfully. _

"_You know we're a lot alike, you and I. Us." He advanced on me until I was staring right up at him. _

"_If you're so keen on me, then get me out," I challenged._

"_Sorry, Love, can't do that." _

"_Why?" I asked dryly._

"_I'm not actually here, Love." He pointed the spot of ground near his feet. "Not corporally."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused._

"_Try to touch me." _

_Tentatively, I reached out and tried to place a hand on his chest, as I remembered doing twice before. Those days seemed oh so long ago, and I wished for them back, even if I didn't enjoy it now. My hand passed right through him, and into thin air. I gasped and snatched my hand back, chilled. _

"_Why are you here?" I asked, growing angry again. "If you can't save me, then leave me alone! I never wanted this, never! It was you who dragged me down, your fault."_

"_Oh, Diana, Love…" he reached out to place a hand on my cheek, but it passed through. _

"_Why do you keep calling me that?" I shouted. _

"_What, Love?" _

"_That! Loki never called me love, never even said it to me, and if you were just his spirit, or whatever you are, neither would you!" _

"_Love, I…." he trailed off. _

"_Diana," he corrected himself. "I want nothing more than to help you, to hold you one more time, but I can't do that if you don't tell me where you are!" _

"_I don't know where I am, Loki, I don't. You're on your own."_

"_So sorry, Love," he said, and I bristled at the nickname. Then he was gone, nothing left of him but a memory. I sat on the floor hard, not caring about the pain._

"_Loki?" I called out hopefully. "Please answer me." I waited, but the only answer I received was the slight echo of my own voice. _

_I curled in on myself, teas dripping down my face. _

"_What's happening to me?" I sobbed, rocking back._

_000_

Okay, so this was a little insight on how broken she is. And it reveals that she might actually have feeling for Loki, but hey. I have a question for you all: Was that really Loki, or something else? Guess you'll have to find out.

Ta, Loves!

-M


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